Total Drama Metamorphia

by thedragonrooster

It's a year after the Ridonculous Race. Chris McLean has returned to a reactivated and refurbished Pahkitew Island, now renamed as Metamorphia. Embracing the transformative nature of the island, Chris can now warp the place into various distinct settings. And with a new set of unlucky campers, he can push Metamorphia to its absolute limits. (SYOC closed, 11/14 remaining)

8. Sand in the Pants

Hey everyone, at long last I've finally have the next episode out and ready. This is the longest episode yet at nearly 26k words. So hopefully the long length makes up for the wait. Get a snack, get all cozy in a blanket and I hope you enjoy :)

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EPISODE 4: SAND IN THE PANTS

Last time on Total Drama Metamorphia…

The campers visited Total Drama City, a large-scale artificial city created entirely by yours truly. And oh boy, was this episode a doozy! We had kicks, shoves, insults galore! And cameos up the wazoo, too.

The Titans had a much easier start, avoiding a mugging by Duncan and slipping ahead via bus. However, things stumbled after Owen ate their hotdogs. Meanwhile, the Beasts kept up pace but were stopped by a swift kick in the gut. Well, mainly just Miriam, who's valiant effort to catch the train failed miserably. Thanks, Light.

Heather was beaten up by a missing Luna. Dawn had to deal with all the chaos from both teams. Meghan had her purse tampered with. And Miriam was the first to bungee jump. But unfortunately, her team could not say the same as ultimately it was the Titans who pulled in with the victory.

Little did Miriam know, Wayne had set up a "perfectly" genius plan to get rid of her. However, Meghan was the loser here by tiebreaker and Van ended up causing tension between her and her girlfriend Tala. Will the couple make amends? Will the Beasts actually win a challenge? And who will be the next eliminated? Find out right here, right now on Total Drama Metamorphia!

(cue the opening intro)

The scene opened up to reveal inside the girl's tent of the Beasts camp. It was the night of the previous challenge. Tala, Miriam and Van were all sitting there staring awkwardly at each other. Crickets and hooting owls filled the silent tension.

Van bit her lip as she felt Tala's glare cut deep through her soul. She peered over to Miriam, who sat there chewing her fingernails. "We'll get those Titans next time, right?" she said, trying to break the awkward silence.

Neither Miriam or Tala responded to her though. This left Van to just sigh and wrap herself in her sleeping bag, trying desperately to fall asleep so she wouldn't have to deal with this terrible night anymore.

Meanwhile, the boy's tent was no different. As Shane and Wayne were not in the best of spirits with each other either. Wayne was working on some type of machinery, grunting and grumbling to himself.

Shane watched him with stern eyes. Unable to not look away. "So now what're you making?" he asked.

Wayne stopped his tinkering and frowned. "Are you seriously gonna try to talk to me right now?" he responded. "I'm still super mad at you."

"Perhaps if you were honest with me from the very beginning," Shane countered. "Then Meghan would've still been here."

Wayne put down his invention and sighed. "Look, in my head, I had to think strategically," he explained. "I had one mission; To get rid of the hothead. And in my mind, I had to lie to get my way there. She is a dangerous woman, after all."

"Well I don't think Miriam is that bad," Shane defended. "Sure, she may be quick-tempered but deep down, she has a heart of gold. You, however, I can't say the same."

Wayne stared at him for a bit. "I have a heart that wants to keep my team safe," he retorted, pointing a stern finger at him. "Something you can't seem to understand."

Shane shook his head. "You just want her gone because you know she can outbeat you," he said. "This isn't about the team to you. This is about you winning this show."

Wayne growled and pounded his fist on the ground. "Dang it, I'm done talking," he declared. "If you wanna pick her side, then so be it. But don't come crying back to me after she seriously hurts someone. You let it happen." He then tucked himself in his bag and went to sleep, leaving Shane to think there by himself.

It was now super early in the morning, so early that the Sun was barely out yet. Light was up and out of her tent, boiling some tea over the campfire. She seemed to be humming quietly to herself but stopped when she heard someone exit the tent behind her. She quickly turned to see Colleen.

"Morning," Colleen greeted with a cheerful smile. "I'm all up and ready for training." Light stared at her but grew a slight smile.

The scene then flashed to Colleen and Light in the woods with just enough natural light to see. Light placed her hands on her hips. "First things first," she said. "Warmups. You know how to do squats?" Colleen nodded. "Alright, do them with me."

Light then bent her knees and squatted down as Colleen kept a close eye on her and followed along. "Ooh wow," Colleen remarked. "My legs are already burning."

"We'll do one hundred of these," Light informed her.

Colleen's eyes widened. "One… hundred?" she repeated nervously. Light nodded and kept squatting. Colleen gulped and reluctantly continued. She definitely felt the burn get more intense with each squat.

(xXxXx)

Colleen: Owww… (rubs her sore legs) I didn't think training would hurt this bad (pouts and moans) Oh come on Colleen, don't be a quitter already.

(xXxXx)

Back over at the Titans camp, Harper and Joshua were just waking up. Harper rolled out of his sleeping bag, holding onto a stuffed bunny. Joshua rubbed his eyes and smiled. "Good morning, babe," he greeted. "How'd you sleep?"

Harper stretched his arms out and grunted. "You snore way too loud sometimes," he said.

Joshua smirked. "My bad," he apologized.

Harper yawned a little. "Welp, guess we got another morph or whatever," he said, pulling out a bag full of toiletries. "First a shipyard, then a city. I hope this next one will be, like, a beach resort or something."

Joshua put on his beanie. "Keep dreaming," he replied. Harper took his bag and headed out the tent. Joshua furrowed his eyebrows. "Where're you going?"

"Going to get washed up in the stream," Harper answered.

Joshua grew a smug smile. "Can I come with you?" he asked.

Harper scoffed and shook his head. "Absolutely not," he denied. "If you even dare try to sneak around and peep, I will murder you."

Joshua shrugged. "It's alright, dude," he said, brushing the threat off. Harper rolled his eyes and left the tent. Joshua fiddled around with his sleeping bag before realizing something. "Wasn't Colleen in this tent with us?"

Back over by Colleen, she was now attempting to do fifty push ups. Light stood above her, making sure she did it just right. Colleen grunted and groaned. "Oh god, it hurts," she whined.

Light rolled her eyes. "You only did two so far," she said.

Colleen pouted and tried to do her third but she collapsed to the ground. "I can't do it," she cried.

Light sighed and nodded. "Let's take a break," she conceded as Colleen sighed in relief. Light took a seat by a tree and leaned her back against it. Colleen took the spot next to her and scooted up close.

"I'm sorry I'm weak," Colleen apologized softly.

Light shook her head. "Don't worry," she assured. "Training like this takes time to get used to." She then pulled out a kettle she had in her pack and poured them two cups of tea.

"Thank you," Colleen said as she took a cup. "I'm having a little fun at least." She took a sip. "Ooh wow, this is really good tea."

Light smirked. "It's healthy for you too," she added.

Colleen smiled and took another sip. "So tell me Light," she piped, placing her cup down. "What made you change your mind?"

Light stared off into the woods for a bit and then tilted her head towards Colleen. "You remind me of someone I know," she explained, taking a sip afterwards.

"Oh really?" Colleen said, tilting her head in intrigue. "Well, who would that be?"

Light shared a reluctant look. "It's just a friend I have back at home," she mentioned, trying to move on from this conversation.

Colleen, however, was really invested. "So you do have friends," she remarked. "Why don't you want any of them here?"

Light sighed. "I think we need to do some more training," she said, picking herself up.

Colleen was a little surprised but rolled with it. "Oh ok," she said, finishing up her tea. "What're we doing now?"

Light stretched her arms out a bit and then posed. "I'll teach you the basic fighting stance of Savate," she explained. "Feet apart, knees bent, hunch your back a little, fists out in front."

Colleen tried it and grew an angry look on her face. Of course, she wasn't actually angry, she was just really into it. "How's this?" she asked.

Light was impressed. "Not bad," she remarked.

Colleen's eyes widened. "Really?" she gasped.

Light nodded and then stepped up to her. She adjusted her arms a little and hunched her down just a tad. "There," she said, stepping back and getting into her stance. "Now do this." She then thrusted a swift punch, grunting loudly as she did.

Colleen nodded and tried it herself. Her grunt was a little more forced and flimsy but the punch seemed decent. She giggled a little. "Oh, this is too much fun now," she beamed. Light smirked and continued showing her some more punches.

(xXxXx)

Light: She's catching on pretty quick. I'm very impressed. However, the real training hasn't begun but we'll get there when we get there.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Beasts' camp. Tala and Wayne were both up and getting ready to search for some food together. The two were mostly quiet with one another but Wayne eventually spoke up about something. "I really apologize for dropping the ball yesterday," he said. "I was so confident that my plan would work that I just had to open my big mouth."

Tala sighed. "It's alright, even if it wasn't the most logically sound decision to make," she assured. "I'm not mad at you that Meghan's gone either."

"Yeah, Miriam is a jerk," Wayne added, eyeing the forest around him.

"I was more so implying Van," Tala said.

"Oh," Wayne remarked. "Yeah, that was really unexpected. I'm sorry your relationship was so short-lived."

Tala stopped and shook her head. "I really don't want to think much about it," she confessed solemnly. "I opened up everything to her and she just…"

Wayne went up to her and patted her back gently. "It'll be alright, Tala," he reassured. "I'll always be on your side with this."

Tala took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should just stay away from the romance at this point," she suggested, rubbing her forearm.

Wayne nodded. "That'd be a good idea," he agreed. "I never care about stuff like that. Too stressful for a brilliant mind like mine." Afterwards, the two continued on with their search for food.

(xXxXx)

Tala: Emotions be darned, I'm only going to be logical from now on. If love isn't logical, then I want nothing to do with it. Wayne gets it. Brains over any sappy romance or love drama. I don't need it and I don't need Van (sighs)

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Titans' camp. Ezra, Robin and Luna were all up and by the campfire. Joshua was still in his tent, just chilling. Luna placed a pot above the fire and grinned ear to ear. "Who's ready for breakfast?" she asked.

Ezra raised his hand. "Me," he answered.

Luna smiled and gave him a kiss. "Well of course, sugar," she swooned. "I'll make sure you are all fed and taken care of the most."

Robin smiled. "Ezra and Luna sitting in a tree," he sang in a joking manner.

"F, U, C-" Luna tried to finish.

Ezra immediately stopped her in a panic. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," he sputtered. "That's way too fast, baby. Slow your roll, this is a family show."

Luna squealed in laughter as Robin chuckled along. "That was slick," he said as Ezra rolled his eyes but still smiled. Robin chuckled some more. "Ah man, are you sure I'm the funniest teammate at this point?"

Ezra laughed. "Yeah, I might have to reconsider," he quipped, smirking a little.

"Ooh Robin," Luna called as she dumped something inside the pot. "You should start dating Queen Colleen and then all four of us can have a double date!"

Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahh, I think that's being a little too presumptuous," he stated. "Not sure if I feel that way about Colleen."

Ezra tilted his head. "Really?" he said. "She's pretty cute. I'd say give it a shot."

Robin shook his head. "Look, I don't have feelings for her," he confessed. "Colleen is just a friend."

Ezra nodded. "Hey don't worry, it's cool," he assured.

Luna then grabbed Ezra by the arm. "Come on Mr. Rockstar buddy," she urged. "We gotta get some more ingredients!"

Ezra stood up and laughed. "Alright, I'll see you Robin," he farewelled.

Robin nodded. "Don't get into too much trouble," he replied with a goofy grin.

"Oh we will, hehehe," Luna cackled, storming off with Ezra.

"Luna, we better not be sitting in any trees," Ezra jokingly called out. Luna just squealed with laughter as she dragged him deeper into the woods, leaving Robin to smile there bewilderingly.

Eventually, Harper returned from his washing. He had a towel wrapped over his head but was fully dressed otherwise. He noticed Robin alone and grimaced a little before approaching. "Hey there Robin," he greeted.

Robin turned and greeted him back with a nod. "Hey Harper," he said. "I see you're all cleaned up and ready for today."

Harper nodded and tore the towel off, letting his hair flow down before he pulled out a brush. "Yep," he said, brushing his locks. "I'm expecting another BS adventure forced upon us. What about you?"

Robin shrugged. "Just hope there's no bungee jumping involved this time," he remarked.

Harper smirked and brushed his hair some more. "Well, I'm trying to just enjoy my time here," he said. "Make some friends y'know?"

Robin nodded. "Well, how's Joshua?" he asked.

Harper shrugged. "He's alright," he replied, pulling out some hair ties. "Kinda dumb in places but charming. What about you and Ezra?"

Robin grinned a little. "We're super cool," he shared. "Might be my biggest friend on this show… that is if Luna doesn't take him from me."

Harper rolled his eyes as he wrapped his hair up into pigtails. "He really doesn't know what he's getting into," he mumbled before smiling. "Well, I'm glad I got to chat. I know I've been rather reclusive in places. I'm kind of a shy girl sometimes."

"You are, huh?" said a familiar voice from behind. It was Joshua, who stood there crossing his arms. Harper got startled a little by his appearance while Joshua greeted Robin with an aloof nod. He then nudged Harper in the arm. "You seemed pretty social with me."

Harper smiled a little awkwardly at the two of them. "Well, that's because we vibe with each other, right?" he explained, playfully tapping Joshua's nose and then giving him a short kiss. "But now I want to vibe with the whole team. We've been doing so well lately and I definitely wanna keep that up." He turned to Robin. "What do you think?"

Robin scratched behind his ear and looked conflicted. "Well, to be honest, I really didn't know what to think of you," he confessed. "Especially after seeing what you did to Owen. I kind of was worried that you'd be too aggressive. But this chat has made me reconsider a little."

Harper nodded carefully. "Well good," he said. "Um, so do you wanna be friends?"

Robin smiled and nodded. "Well of course," he affirmed. "I wanna be friends with all of my team."

Harper gave a cutesy smile and squeezed Robin a little for a hug. "You're too kind, Robin," he warmly complimented, stepping back afterwards. "That's why you're our leader."

Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't expect to become the leader," he admitted. "But I guess it was meant to be."

Harper nodded and then grabbed Joshua by the hand. "So what do you wanna do, sweetie?" he asked.

Joshua thought for a bit. "Hey, you wanna talk about, like, Rodney Mullen or something?" he asked.

Harper shrugged. "I don't know who that is but sure, why not?" he agreed before the two walked off camp together.

(xXxXx)

Robin: Harper and Joshua, huh? (rubs his chin) Kind of an odd pair but hey, they seem to be happy. And I'm happy that Harper is quite friendly too. I'll just try not to anger her (turns to an Owen impression) Owwie… my head… (back to normal and giggles to himself)

Harper: I've realized my social game needed some work. So I decided to "get to know" my other teammates, starting with Robin. He's definitely someone I want out soon. He's way too friendly and sweet. It makes me sick.

Joshua: Rodney Mullen is the GOAT, man.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Bionic Beasts' camp. Miriam and Van sat together on log benches by the campfire. "Down to five teammates now," Miriam grumbled. "We really need to get our act together."

"Yeah…" Van sighed

Miriam sucked in her cheek and then peered over to her. "I'm sorry about you and Tala," she apologized. "I didn't mean to break you up."

Van shook her head. "It was my decision," she said despondently.

Miriam leaned over and placed a hand on her back. "Hey now, you did what you thought was right," she reassured. "I'm glad to have you as a friend."

Van barely nodded. "Heartbreak sucks…" she whimpered.

Miriam got nervous as she didn't really know what to say in this situation. Thankfully, Shane exited his tent and approached the two. "Hey Shane," Miriam greeted.

Shane nodded towards her and then crouched down by Van. "Everything alright?" he asked.

Van lifted her head up and sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she assured. "Thanks y'all." Shane gave her a thumbs up while Miriam smiled warmly at her.

Just then, Wayne and Tala returned. They had some food with them and they placed it on the makeshift table. Afterwards, Tala went straight inside the girl's tent, completely ignoring the others.

Wayne, however, met up with the group. He folded his arms and frowned. "Unbelievably, I'm outnumbered," he said dryly.

Miriam smirked and got up from her seat. "Oh Wayne," she mocked. "It was a respectable effort to try to get rid of me but I don't go down that easily."

Wayne frowned some more as he turned away. "I don't even wanna look at you," he spat.

Miriam laughed. "Come on now," she said smugly. "You and I bring the best out of each other. If it weren't for you, I'd still be carelessly letting my guard down. So respect to you, Wayne."

Wayne gritted his teeth. "I don't want your respect," he deflected. "I want you gone."

Miriam shrugged and seemed unbothered. "Take my respect or not, I'm not here to bicker with you," she confessed. "I'm here to win. Do you want to win, Wayne?"

"Of course," Wayne said, rolling his eyes. "I can want more than one thing, you know."

Miriam smirked. "Well I guarantee one for you," she boasted. "And if I don't, you can have the other."

Van and Shane both shared looks with each. "What do you mean by that, girl?" Van asked.

Miriam turned to her before eyeing them all. "I mean that if we lose this challenge…" she began to explain. "Then you can all vote me off." There was a bit of shocked silence afterwards.

"Are you serious?" Wayne questioned.

Miriam clenched her fist determinedly. "I'm willing to put everything on the line for you guys," she affirmed. "If I fail once more, I deserve to go…" She then grimaced a little. "But I know I won't fail."

(xXxXx)

Wayne: Well, this is interesting (rubs hands together) This could very much be the easiest way to get rid of Miriam. I have my reservations about intentionally losing but perhaps I can make an exception (rubs chin in thought) I'll just have to do it without getting anyone suspicious.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed back to Light and Colleen, who were still training together. Light had her hands out, taking punches from Colleen. "Swifter, faster," she demanded. "My palms barely feel a sting."

Colleen, who was deep in her fighting stance, kept punching back and forth into Light's hands. Each swing she let out a grunt. Her eyes were locked in. Her body tense. They had been training for a while but Colleen was still going.

Light smirked as Colleen kept punching. "That's good, Colleen," she complimented. "I think we're done now."

Colleen stopped and took a sigh of relief. "Wow," she gasped. "That was the most intense I've felt in, like, ever. This training stuff really brings it out of you." She then rubbed her arms. "But I'm really sore now."

Light smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You did very well for your first session," she said. "I'm proud of you, Colleen."

Colleen's eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked.

Light nodded in response. Immediately, Colleen reached out for an embrace. Light held her back with an arm. "Don't do that," she ordered.

"Oops, sorry," Colleen apologized, holding her hands behind her back. "But, um, thanks a lot for today. It was fun." Light firmly nodded.

Just then, Harper and Joshua showed up, holding hands together. "Oh, there you guys are," Harper greeted. "We were wondering what happened?"

Colleen smiled and scurried up to them. "Hey, you two," she greeted. "Light, here, was just training me in a bit of martial arts. I feel like I just ran a marathon."

Harper laughed. "Well, that's great," he said. "And it's really cool to see you spending time with other girls here. I remember when you first showed up and I felt so bad for you. But it's good to see you turn things around."

Colleen sighed and looked over to Light, who had her arms crossed. She was staring at Joshua, who was staring back. Colleen then looked back at Harper. "Yeah, I try not to remember that night too much," she confessed with her head slightly down.

Harper lifted Colleen's head up by the chin. "Hey, I wanna make it up to you," he said. "You know, for kicking you out of the tent that one time. I'm really good at hair styling and beauty soooo, how about I give you a bit of a makeover?"

Colleen's face lit up. "Wow, that sounds amazing," she wooed. "I would love to, Harper."

Harper grinned and grabbed Colleen by the hand. "We can do it after the challenge," he stated before stepping back. "But I can show you my beauty supplies right now if you want."

Colleen hopped up and down. "Okay!" she exclaimed, getting really excited. "Ohmigosh, this morning has been awesome!" Harper giggled and took Colleen by the hand as they headed back to camp together. That just left Light with Joshua.

Joshua attempted to greet her with a simple nod but Light shut him down immediately. "What happened to 'no longer bothering me'?" she interrogated.

Joshua shrugged. "I didn't know talking to you was, like, considered bothering, man," he said. "And it seems you're okay with Colleen 'bothering' you, dude. I thought you, like, didn't want any friends."

Light growled. "She is a student, that's all," she explained. "Now get out of here."

Joshua stood firm. "Nah, man," he defied, causing Light to glare at him. "Look, I've been, like, nice and respectful to you this whole time. Yet, you don't even try to do the same, man." Light stayed silent but felt her body get more tense.

"And you're treating me, like, I don't deserve your time," Joshua continued. "Like, what's with the ego? Everyone else is cool, dude. And we talk with one another and, like, we get along. But you? You rather shut us all away and treat us as inferior. That's not cool, man."

"Just shut up!" Light screamed, gnashing her teeth and pressing her fists against her head. "Leave me alone! You don't know who I am! You don't know how I feel!"

Joshua took it all in and eventually nodded. "Alright, man," he conceded. "I'll go. But that attitude of yours won't keep you here for long." He then left the area, leaving Light with fuming breaths. Her body felt tense all over. She had to punch something.

A nearby tree was the unfortunate victim as she smashed her fists into it. She punched so hard that the tree fell over. Light then took some deep breaths and it seemed like she was possibly even crying a little. Or was it just sweat? Either way, she was all by herself in the quiet vacant woods.

Meanwhile, at the Bionic Beasts camp. Van decided to go talk with Tala, who was still in the girl's tent. Van unzipped and entered, only to see Tala sitting there solving a rubix cube.

Tala messed around with it before eventually coming to a solution and smirked. "Fifteen seconds," she remarked. "That's a new record I think." She then noticed Van and frowned. "What do you want?"

Van bit her lip. "I was jus' checking up on ya," she explained. "I see you're still mad at me."

"You did help get rid of my friend, after all," Tala dryly replied as she placed the rubix cube by her side.

"Look, Tala, I really am sorry," Van apologized, crawling a bit closer. "It was a tough decision for me to make but I'm willing to work things out."

Tala crossed her arms and frowned. She gave no response. Instead, she just sat there quietly, staring off and paying no acknowledgement to Van's plea.

"Baby girl please-" Van attempted to plead again.

"I'm not your baby girl!" Tala interjected furiously, jolting her head towards her and snarling. "I don't want to talk to you. Now just leave me alone!"

Van felt a lump in her throat and stepped back. She didn't say anything else. She just stayed there for a few more seconds, coming to terms with the whole situation and then left the tent in a solemn manner.

Once Van was gone, Tala picked up the rubix cube and stared at it. She observed the perfect matches of colors before scrambling it up frantically and tossing the cube to the side in anger. Afterwards, she slumped into her arms and knees to cry.

Van stepped away from the tent from the outside with her head drooped low before she bumped into someone. She quickly turned around to see Chef standing there with his arms crossed. "You got some fixing to do with her," he grumbled.

"Oh, I know, mane," Van said with a sigh. "I know…"

Chef smirked a little. "Challenge will begin in fifteen minutes," he announced. "Make sure to bring your swimsuits." He then left grumbling to himself as he headed towards the other team's camp to notify them the same.

Eventually, everyone had met with Chris and they all packed in the safe room. "Good to see everyone," the host said as he closed the safe room door. He walked over towards Chef. "Are you ready to see the next morph?"

"Absolutely!" Shane boomed with a salute.

Chris nodded towards Chef and he pressed a button on the remote control. The grassy grounds were replaced with much sandier ones. All the pine trees were swapped with palms. The water level was raised and the sunlight seemed to somehow get warmer.

"Welcome to Tini Pipi Island," Chris exclaimed. "A lush tropical paradise based on the ever so famous islands of Hawaii."

"Ohmigosh!" Colleen gasped with excitement. "This is the best morph ever!"

Chris led all of the campers out of the safe room and onto a sandy bank. Then he gathered their attention with a swift whistle. "Today's challenge will consist of many head-to-head beach activities," he announced. "Some will involve only just a few from each team. Some will involve all of you."

Chris pointed at a scoreboard that was propped up by the bank. "For each activity you win, you'll earn a point," he explained. "First team to three points, wins the challenge. The winners will be rewarded with these…"

The camera panned over to Chef, standing by a set up that was covered by a curtain. He pulled the curtain to reveal three porcelain showers with gold heads and knobs. Many of the contestants gawked at the sight.

Chris smirked. "That's right," he said. "Today's winners will have these luxury showers installed in their camp. But that's not all! I'm telling you, we're treating the winners extra well this year."

Chef stepped over to another covered set up and pulled the curtain to reveal a state-of-the-art jacuzzi. Jets blasted underneath the water, forming soft warm bubbles at the surface. Chef poked a finger in the water and then gave a thumbs up.

"Yooo, this reward is so sick!" Ezra cheered. "The best one yet!"

Chris nodded. "Indeed," he said. "There's a lot at stake here so you guys better give it your all."

"Geez, it's like this reward was tailor made for me," Harper remarked.

"I'll say," Colleen piped, sharing cute smiles with him.

"Anyway, let's begin with the first activity," Chris said as he walked over to Chef and took some device from him and booted it up. "This little gadgety-doo is a simple randomizer," the host shared. "I'll input all of your names and then let the randomizer pick one member from each team."

Chris stepped up onto the sandy bank again. "We're doing this because the first activity is a one-on-one swimming race," he elaborated, pressing a button on the randomizer. "Looks like Harper will be swimming for the Titans."

Harper sighed. "Great," he mumbled to himself.

"Wayne, you're swimming for the Beasts," Chris added before pointing towards a shack with a leaf-covered roof and a few doors attached. "You may change into your suits there."

(xXxXx)

Harper: Of course I'm tasked with swimming. Gonna have to be careful with not revealing too much but thankfully, I brought the perfect swimsuit.

(xXxXx)

Harper came out of the changing room wearing a pink full body wetsuit and a pink inner tube wrapped around his waist. He then skipped over to his team and smiled. "This outfit will make me swim faster," he lied.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Even with the inner tube?" he asked.

Harper nodded. "Of course," he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Wayne left the changing room wearing just some plain gray swim trunks. He went up to his team and shrugged. "Not much of a swimmer but I think Harper won't be too hard to beat," he said.

Miriam smirked. "What? Are you gonna use a technological advantage again?" she questioned.

Wayne shook his head. "Technology and water don't mix well," he countered. "And plus, it's none of your business on how I win."

Miriam rolled her eyes. "We are on the same team," she reminded him. "Kinda is my business."

Wayne clenched his fist but remained calm. "Not for long…" he mumbled under his breath.

Chris interrupted the teams with a swift whistle. "Harper, Wayne, come with me," he ordered. "The rest of you, go stand by Chef." He led the two towards the shore and pointed ahead towards a far off floating deck in the sea.

Standing on top of the deck was a girl with long blonde hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a navy blue wetsuit and held a surfboard by her side. She waved at the three with a cheerful smile.

"Say hello to today's special guest, Bridgette!" Chris announced. "She'll be used for many of the tasks, including this one. Harper, Wayne, your task is to swim towards Bridgette, give her a high-five and swim back, ya dig?"

Both Harper and Wayne nodded. Chris then pulled out a megaphone. "Bridgette, are you ready!" he blared, causing the two competitors to cover their ears.

Bridgette nodded and gestured widely. "I sure am!" she shouted.

"Alright, I think we're golden," Chris said, swapping his megaphone with an air horn. "On your mark!" The two competitors readied themselves to dive in. "Get set!... GO!"

Chris blasted the airhorn, stunning Harper a little so Wayne ended up with a quick lead. He dived in the sea and stroked his arms back and forth, entering deeper into the tides. Harper recollected himself and dived into the water. He struggled to gain traction, due to his inner tube and groaned in frustration.

Wayne was already half-way there to Bridgette, seemingly trying his best to swim efficiently. Back at the beach, his fellow teammates cheered him on. "Let's go Wayne!" Miriam shouted, clapping her hands. "You got this!"

Robin bit his lip as he watched Harper continue to struggle. "Just take the tube off!" he called out.

Harper groaned again and slid out of his tube. "Fine," he grumbled. "Didn't want to get my hair all wet but I guess it's now or never." He then dived deep into the water and swam much more efficiently before sprouting back up to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Wayne had reached the deck and met up with Bridgette. She held her hand out and he gave her a high-five. "Now just head on back, you can do it," she told him.

Wayne pushed off the deck and made a quick u-turn. As he swam back, he noticed Harper had caught up a little and was close to getting to Bridgette. The techno smirked before stroking on forward.

Harper made it to Bridgette and gave her a high-five. He then kicked off the deck to swim back, causing it and Bridgette to wobble around. Up ahead, Harper could see Wayne and knew that he was catching up.

Miriam was getting nervous as she watched the two. "Hurry Wayne!" she called. "Don't let her get onto your tail!" Wayne heard her and rolled his eyes before coming up with an idea.

Wayne stopped in his tracks and held onto his stomach. "Ack!" he cried. "I think I have a cramp!" He flailed around, pretending to be in pain until Harper eventually passed him up. Bridgette, having experience as a lifeguard before, dove into the sea and swam to go save him.

The Beasts were in disbelief with one another. What an unlucky moment for them, once again. Harper made it to the shore first, making sure to grab his inner tube on his way back. He gave Chris a high-five and then the air horn was blown again. Harper fell to the ground, stunned by the loud sharp noise.

"Harper wins the first task!" Chris announced. "One point for the Titans." Over by Chef, he erased the zero by their name and wrote a one on the scoreboard. The Titans all cheered with one another and ran up to Harper, hoisting him up on their shoulders as he wooed with excitement.

"That's my girl, dude," Joshua proudly said.

Meanwhile, Wayne made it back to the shore with the help of Bridgette as he continued to fake his cramp. The Beasts disappointedly stared at one another as they arrived.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Bridgette asked.

Wayne nodded. "Yeah, I should be," he assured before getting to his feet and stepping over towards his team.

Miriam greeted him first with a huge frown. "What the heck was that?" she demanded as she crossed her arms.

Wayne gulped. "I think I was getting stressed about losing the lead that I got a cramp in the process," he explained. "I'm sorry I let you down guys."

Tala stepped in. "It's alright, Wayne," she assured, taking him by the hand. "Cramps can be kind of random. We just have the worst luck imaginable so, of course, it would happen to us and not them." Wayne and Tala then walked along to chat some more.

Miriam could be heard growling a little but she stayed quiet. Van approached her and patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, it's jus' one task," she reminded. "They gotta win three. You know we still got this."

Miriam nodded. "Yeah, I know," she agreed. "It's just… something doesn't feel right. Wayne inconveniently getting a cramp when he had the lead…"

"You sayin' he faked it?" Van asked.

Miriam shook her head. "I don't wanna make any sudden accusations without proof," she said. "But keep an eye out on him."

(xXxXx)

Miriam: Look, I'm not stupid. I know that when I said I would take the fall if we lost this challenge, I set myself up for the worst. And knowing Wayne, he could easily try to sabotage our team as a quick way to get rid of me. So that's why I'm suspicious. (crosses arms and smirks) Well, he can try to sabotage us all he wants but so long as I bring it my all, I have no fear of that happening.

(xXxXx)

The Titans were still in high spirits. Harper was placed down and wrapped himself into Joshua's arms. Colleen hopped up and down excitedly as she approached the two. "Wow, that was great," she cheered. "So proud of you, Harper."

"Aww thanks Colleen," Harper replied, gently grabbing hold of her hands.

Colleen giggled. "And wow, that wetsuit makes you look so cute," she complimented.

Joshua tightened up his arm around Harper. "I know right," he agreed with a smirk. "She's a hottie."

"You're a lucky man, Joshua," Colleen quipped.

Harper blushed a little. "Aw stop it you two," he said with a playful swipe. Colleen giggled some more.

(xXxXx)

Harper: And just like that, I'm adored by the team. Who knew they would all be so naive and impressionable. (smirks) Oh wait, I did (giggles sinisterly)

(xXxXx)

Light had been silent pretty much the entire time, during the challenge. She didn't even bother to celebrate when Harper won the first task. Instead, she stood sternly by herself, staring off into the sea. All of this was changed when Luna skipped over to her. "Howdy, big strong lady," she greeted. "Whatcha doing?"

Light gave no response. Luna stepped closer. "Hey, I'm talkin' to you," she said, getting impatient. "What's going on?"

Light gritted her teeth a little. Luna frowned and poked her in the arm. "You okay, big strong lady?" she asked cautiously.

Light felt a mix of emotions inside of her but before she could act on any of them. Ezra showed up. "Sup Luna," he greeted. "How about we leave Light alone. She doesn't wanna be bothered right now."

Luna nodded. "Okay, sugar," she agreed before leaping up into his arms. "It's our honeymoon after all!"

"Our what now?" Ezra asked with a smile.

"Yessiree, we are in Hawaii," Luna babbled. "That's where all the best honeymoons take place."

Ezra chuckled. "You're one crazy girl," he remarked.

Luna kissed him and cackled. "Oh you haven't even seen the worst of me," she said before leaping off and dragging Ezra by the arm. "And away we gooo!"

Ezra looked back at Light as he was being dragged. "See ya," he farewelled before eventually being taken by Luna to god knows where.

Light gave a thankful nod towards Ezra and seemed to be a bit more at ease. She eventually decided to head back to the rest of her team. From there, she was greeted by a gleeful Colleen and a welcoming Robin.

"Boy, I sure can't wait to see what Chris will have you do," Robin said. "No doubt you'll absolutely dominate."

Colleen nodded peppily. "Oh yeah, Light the MVP!" she wooed, giving Robin a high-five.

Light modestly shrugged. "Thanks," was all she could say.

Colleen tilted her head a little. "Are you okay?" she asked with concern. "You seem a little… dejected."

Light peered over and could see Joshua with Harper. He was chilling and talking to him about whatever. As aloof and carefree as ever. Light then looked back at Colleen and sucked in her cheek. "Do you guys think I treat you as inferior?" she asked.

Colleen and Robin shared looks before Colleen cleared her throat. "Well not anymore at least," she confessed quietly. "But like, I certainly felt that from you beforehand."

Robin shrugged. "I just thought you were the silent badass type," he shared.

Light nodded her head and looked away. "Okay," she said.

"Robin!" called a voice. It was Chris and he had the randomizer in his hand. "You're up next buddy."

Robin nodded and stepped forward. "What are we doing this time?" he asked.

Chris pressed a button on the randomizer. "Snorkeling," he revealed. "Tala, you're doing it for the Beasts." Tala gulped and cautiously stepped forward.

"You got this, girl," Van tried to encourage. Tala turned back at her and glared, causing Van to pipe down and lower her head. Miriam attempted to comfort her by gently placing a hand on her back.

Meanwhile, Chris led Tala and Robin towards a container by the shore. It was a blue opaque tub with some tape crudely flattened on the lid. On it was the words "snorkel equipment" and Chris removed the lid to show the swimming goggles and snorkels the two would be using.

"Your task is to find a buried treasure chest in the water," Chris explained, pulling out some equipment. "Using these, you must search around the depths and dig the chest out. Then you'll have to bring it back and reveal the treasure, in order to win."

Chris handed the two their snorkel and goggles, pointing off towards the changing room afterwards. "Go get changed now," he ordered. "And make it snappy, I wanna keep this a little more streamlined then the last episode."

Tala looked at her equipment and shrugged. "That should already be the case naturally since we don't have to roam around a giant city this time," she said indifferently.

Chris frowned at her and crossed his arms. "Do you want me to yell at you everytime or something?" he asked bitterly.

Tala dropped her head in shame. "No," she denied.

"Then get moving," Chris ordered, furrowing his eyebrows deeper.

Tala gulped and obeyed, heading towards the changing room with Robin. "Honestly, it's kinda funny how easily you can tick him off," Robin told her.

Tala sighed. "It's never my intention but if you find amusement in it, then that's fine," she said. "I just need to learn to keep my mouth quiet."

"Nah, you should talk more," Robin replied. "Who cares if he gets mad you know? What's he gonna do? Disqualify you?" Tala gave him a look.

Robin bit his lip in realization. "Oh yeah, he totally can," he said. "Yeah, maybe just keep it to yourself then…"

Tala shook her head and sighed once again, entering the girl's side of the changing room. Robin stood outside of his area for a bit, feeling a little remorseful before he eventually went inside the room as well.

(xXxXx)

Robin: I mean I wasn't trying to suggest to Tala to get herself disqualified or anything. It's just sad to see her get yelled at by Chris like that. She ain't doing anything wrong. (shrugs) Ah well, I have other important matters to worry about honestly.

(xXxXx)

Robin came out of the changing room first, wearing a green wetsuit ala something similar to Bridgette's. Tala was out next and wore a plain black one piece swimsuit. They both had on their goggles and snorkels.

When they returned to Chris, he led them by the shore. "Alright, you guys may begin," he said. "Try not to get caught up in a riptide or something, okay?"

"Well, that's what Bridgette is here for right?" Robin asked, pointing towards a waving Bridgette, who stood with the rest of the campers.

Chris shrugged. "Meh, she's not obligated to save you or anything," he denied.

Bridgette rolled her eyes. "Don't worry guys," she assured. "If something goes south, I'm on it."

Chris crossed his arms disappointedly. "Way to spoil the risk factor, Bridgette," he scowled.

Bridgette grew smug. "Way to ignore safety protocol, Chris," she countered. Robin looked giddy after that.

Chris swatted it off. "Bah," he said before glaring at Robin and Tala. "Get to snorkeling already."

Tala and Robin both stepped into the water and swam towards a more deeper part of the sea. As they searched around, periodically dipping their heads in to search, the rest of the campers kept watch, along with Bridgette.

Colleen scooted up to her and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Colleen," she cheerfully greeted. "It's always a pleasure to meet some of the OG cast. I especially like how you didn't back down to Chris."

Bridgette smiled and shook her hand. "Haha, thank you," she replied. "Yeah, Chris knows he can't say much to me. The producers like me almost as much as him anyway."

"Oh yeah, you did pretty well on Total Drama Aftermath," Colleen stated. "Is that show ever gonna come back?"

Bridgette shrugged apologetically. "Not since the seasons have been shortened to thirteen episodes," she admitted. "But I have been pushing for a twenty-six episode season behind the scenes as of late. The producers just don't wanna risk it right now."

Colleen nodded. "I guess that's understandable," she said before her face lit up a little. "Wait, so does that mean if this season becomes a success, there'd be a higher chance of a longer season happening?"

Bridgette shrugged again. "Maybe," she said earnestly. "I think it'll definitely have some producers reconsidering."

Colleen giggled with excitement. "Oooh, just imagine, like, a second World Tour season," she said.

"You might be onto something," Bridgette said with a wink.

Colleen giggled some more. "Omigosh, I gotta make sure everyone I know watches this season," she squeaked, hopping up and down a little. "We gotta make this happen!"

Meanwhile, Robin and Tala were still aimlessly snorkeling. Chris was getting impatient. "Come on," he groaned. "This is taking so long. We need some drama. Some action!" He then turned to Chef with a devious grin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Chef rolled his eyes. "Will I ever get a raise?" he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"You might if you make things more interesting for me," Chris admitted, rubbing his hands together. "Why don't you go find an old friend of ours?"

Chef smirked. "Heh, this is the Chris I know," he said before leaving shortly.

However, it seemed Tala had just found a chest and she dragged it onto the shore. Chris looked disappointed as he stepped forward. "Just when things were about to get interesting," he whined. Tala crouched down to the chest and opened it, only to be surprised by a giant boxing glove pummeling her in the face.

Chris fell to the floor laughing. "Oh my god, I forgot," he cackled, holding onto his sides. "There are fake chests with booby traps. And you just found one." He then laughed some more.

Tala was knocked back and her face swelled up a bit. "How convenient," she mumbled quietly as she picked herself up.

Chris got up and brushed some sand from his shirt. "Get back in there and try not to find a booby trap this time," he ordered smugly. Tala rolled her eyes and headed back into the water.

Van leaned over to Miriam. "God, I can't help but wanna make sure she's aight," she confessed. "I still can't get over her."

Miriam looked at Van sympathetically. "It's gonna be alright, Van," she assured. "There's plenty of nerdy girls out there for you to fall in love with."

"Yeah…" Van sighed, looking quite despondent. "Tala looks so cute in her swimsuit too…" Miriam just awkwardly stood there, unable to come up with anything to say to comfort her.

Thankfully, Bridgette walked up to the two with a welcoming smile. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear a bit of your conversation," she said. "Thought I could maybe help out."

Van looked at Bridgette with sad eyes. "I'd appreciate that," she replied.

"So what's going on with you and Tala?" Bridgette asked.

Van sucked in her cheek as she pondered back to last night. "Me and her jus' started dating," she recalled. "It was going well for a bit but then I made a tough decision during voting to save Miriam here." Miriam awkwardly waved towards Bridgette.

Van sighed as she continued on. "And let's jus' say Tala wasn't so chill with that," she finished.

Bridgette nodded as she took it all in. "It looks like the game got in the way of things," she stated. "It can happen and it sucks when it does." Van sighed in response.

Bridgette then stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Van's back. "But honestly, this is nowhere near as bad as it can get," she assured. "Keep in mind, I'm the one who foolishly tried to kiss another guy behind my boyfriend's back." Miriam shared an agreeing look with Van, as if to tell her that Bridgette was right.

"Me and Geoff were able to mend things eventually," Bridgette continued. "So let's just say it doesn't have to be over between you and Tala. Take my word."

Van seemed to feel a bit better as she lifted her head up and gave a slight smile to the surfer girl. "Thanks so much," she appreciated.

"My pleasure," Bridgette replied with a warm smile.

(xXxXx)

Bridgette: It goes without saying that I want these two to work things out. So some assurance from me was necessary. (suddenly looks remorseful) And to Geoff, if you're watching. I'm once again sorry, babe. I love you so much.

(xXxXx)

Robin had just dug out another chest and brought it to shore. When he opened it, a stink bomb was set off. Chris laughed as he covered his nose. "Got'cha," he smirked.

Robin coughed as his face turned a bit green. "Real funny, Chris," he gagged.

Chris snickered some more. "Welp, you gotta go back and find another," he ordered. "That chest was another booby trap."

Robin mumbled some obscenities under his breath as he went back into the sea. Chris watched along until he noticed something in the distance. He squinted his eyes and then pulled out some binoculars. Up ahead, he saw a shark fin of some sort. He grimaced devilishly.

"Hey Robin!" the host called. "How about doing a Scott impression for me real quick?"

Robin stopped swimming and gave a look. "Why on Earth would he want me to do that?" he said in a Scott impression to himself. Suddenly, the Jaws theme started to play, confusing Robin even more. He looked around him and frowned.

"Ha ha real funny, Chris," Robin said sarcastically, back in his normal voice. "We know there's no sharks here."

However, all of the other campers were freaking out as Chris pointed behind him. "Think again, dude," he replied with a smug grin.

Robin scratched his head and turned around, only to immediately come face to face with Fang. The mutated shark cracked its knuckles and grimaced, revealing its sharp, deadly teeth. Robin gulped in fear. "I'm not Scott, I promise," he stammered.

The plea was to no avail as Robin was now being chased around by Fang all across the sea. Robin paddled and swam as fast and frantically as he could but Fang was too much.

Tala watched it all go down. She stayed still in the water, completely frozen in fear as she observed Fang beat up Robin from off-screen. Robin's yelps and cries for help were blood-curdling.

Chris laughed and laughed, enjoying the pain being given. Then he turned to Bridgette with a smug grin. "Hey, aren't you gonna try to save him?" he mocked.

Bridgette looked horrified. "How are you this evil!?" she shrieked.

Chris shrugged. "Hey, I only need Fang to shake him up a bit," he explained. "Robin will be fine."

"Are you sure about that?" Bridgette asked, pointing over towards the fiasco. Robin was practically keeping Fang's jaw open from chomping him in half.

Chris' eyes widened in fear and he pulled out his megaphone frantically. "Fang! You're not supposed to eat him!" he shouted in a panic.

Fang raised his eyebrows before spitting out Robin and shrugging. Robin landed by the shore, covered in bruises and cuts. Colleen quickly ran up to him in a teary state. "Robin!" she cried. "Please be okay!"

Robin lifted up his thumb and coughed. "I'm okay…" he said shakily. Colleen stood by him until Chef came with a medical cot. He plopped Robin onto it and then carried him off, leaving Colleen to be by the shore with worried eyes.

The rest of the campers were in shock. Unsure of what to say or do. Tala was still in the water, completely unable to move. Fang was looking at himself in a hand mirror, his teeth glistening amongst the reflection.

Chris shrugged a bit. "Well, since Robin is unable to finish this task, the Beasts get the point," he stated, rather indifferent to the situation. The Beasts shrugged at each other for a bit before ultimately cheering while the Titans looked absolutely crushed.

Bridgette was furious and stormed up to Chris, jamming a finger into his chest. "Really Chris!?" she growled. "After all that, you just give the Beasts the victory? It was your stupid idea to bring in Fang. Weren't the booby traps enough!?"

Chris rubbed his chin and then shrugged. "Alright, the Titans win the task under the guise of this being considered an interference," he said, changing his mind. Bridgette wasn't happy with this either but she didn't feel like prying more.

Miriam was absolutely furious now. "What the heck, Bridgette!?" she screamed, stamping her foot on the ground. "Why'd you have to open your big mouth?"

"I wasn't trying to get him to change the winner," Bridgette defended. "I was just trying to tell him off for allowing this to happen."

Harper crossed his arms and smirked. "Oh boo hoo, Miriam," he mocked. "Stop being such a sore loser. Our teammate was seriously injured. The least you could be is a little worried."

"I am worried!" Miriam snapped. "Cuz if we lose under some BS, then…" She stopped in mid-sentence, looking back at her team nervously.

"Then what?" Harper asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

"Then she will be eliminated," Wayne finished for her. "That's what she promised."

"Shut up, Wayne!" Miriam growled, clenching her fists as she glared at him furiously. "Why are you telling them that?"

Harper rubbed his chin and grimaced. "Interesting," he said, sharing looks with his team.

"Hey," Miriam growled, pointing an angry finger at him. "Don't even get any ideas. My team will still come out on top." She turned to Van and Shane. "Right guys?"

"Absolutely!" Shane agreed.

"No BS finna slow us down, y'all," Van said with a confident smile.

Chris interrupted everyone with a blare of his air horn, causing everyone to cover their ears. "Alright, will you all shut up," he scowled. "It's 2-0 Titans and that's it. Tala, get back here. Fang, go home."

Fang tossed his hand mirror aside and shrugged before nonchalantly swimming off. Meanwhile, Tala eventually made her way back to the shore, practically unable to speak. She did have the front row seat to the beating after all and so she was obviously traumatized by it.

Meanwhile, Colleen was still kneeling by the shore crying to herself. That's when Joshua decided to go console her. He held out his hand to her and smiled. "Hey there, dude," he greeted. "It's gonna be alright, man. Robin will be fine."

Colleen wiped some tears. "I'm so scared for him," she whimpered. "I don't want him to leave due to injury either."

Joshua picked her up and held her close. "It's gonna be alright, man. I promise," he soothed. "Come on. Let's, like, meet up with the rest of the team."

"Okay…" Colleen quivered.

Joshua led her to the rest of the Titans, where Harper greeted Colleen with sad eyes. "Aww, I'm sorry Colleen," he said, taking her by the hands. "We all are worried for him just as much as you. But look on the brightside, we're only one task away from winning."

Joshua nodded and patted Colleen's back. "Yeah, man," he agreed. "Stay focused. Let's win this for Robin."

Colleen sniffed and nodded her head. "Thanks, you guys," she said. Harper reached out and gave Colleen a warm hug before Joshua joined in and they all had a group hug. Light was watching this all go down, pondering on her observations.

Just then, Ezra returned to the team, covered in kiss marks. His hair and clothes were ruffled up as well. Light turned to him and furrowed his eyebrows. "Where've you been?" she asked.

"I don't even know," Ezra replied with a dazed expression.

Luna came by next and smacked Ezra on the behind. "Ooh, that was so much fun," she said before giving Ezra a flirty tiger growl. "This is the best honeymoon ever, sugar!" Light's eyes twitched in dumbfoundment and awkward realization.

(xXxXx)

Ezra (still covered in kiss marks): I don't know what happened when me and Luna were gone but man, I think I'm madly in love. (pumps his fists in the air and plays some air guitar) I am never getting bored with her, wooooo!

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to Tala, who had her head down and arms crossed. She was staying away from her team. However, Wayne decided to give her some company. "Don't worry too much, Tala," he assured.

"I don't ever wanna swim in the sea again," Tala murmured. "And now we're down by two."

Wayne sighed and gently patted her back. "Yeah, we are," he said before tilting his head a little. "But if we lose, I mean, there's nothing to worry about."

"Do you really think Miriam will follow through with her promise?" Tala asked.

"If there is one thing that I will give credit to," Wayne replied. "Miriam is honorable to a fault. She's not one to go back on her word."

"It would be nice to see her gone," Tala admitted with a sigh. "She's been nothing but trouble for this whole team."

Wayne nodded. "For sure," he agreed. "And then after, we can get rid of Van too."

Tala raised her eyebrows and seemed to lose her breath. Wayne looked at her with concern. "You alright?" he asked.

Tala slowly nodded her head. "Of course…" she said breathlessly. "Van can go next…"

Wayne smiled. "Great," he said. "Hopefully Shane will come to his senses eventually. I'd hate to get rid of him too." Tala quietly nodded as she tried her best to ease herself.

(xXxXx)

Tala: Wayne wants to get rid of Van? (gulps) I mean, of course… (shakes her head) Get a grip, Tala! You don't need Van. Who cares if she goes? Be logical. (sighs) Yeah… be logical…

(xXxXx)

"Alright everyone," Chris said as some interns set up some sort of net behind him. "Let's move on to task three… Volleyball!" He was then tossed a ball by Chef and showed it to the campers. "I will need two from each team. The rules are simple. Get to eleven points. You get a point when your opponent fails to volley back the ball or screws up their serve twice."

Chris tossed the ball towards Bridgette and she caught it. "Bridgette, here, will be our referee," he explained, pulling out his randomizer. "She'll make sure no rules are broken, such as hitting the ball twice in row, serving from anywhere but the back of the court and so on."

Chris then pointed a finger at Shane. "You will be playing, sir," he informed him. "Your partner will be Miriam."

The two Beasts shared high-fives. "Alright, my time to shine," Miriam bragged, clenching her fists in confidence.

Chris turned to Colleen. "You're up for the Titans," he informed her. "And your partner is… Oh this is just too perfect. Your partner will be Light!"

Colleen clapped her hands together and dragged Light by the hand towards the net. "Omigosh, it's me and you!" she squealed.

Light looked a bit surprised and she pulled Colleen back. "We have to change first," she reminded.

"Right you are," Chris affirmed. "Go get changed into your suits and then return so we can start the game."

The four campers headed their way to the changing rooms. Miriam paced up to Light and smirked. "I am so glad I'm up against you," she boasted. "I can't wait to kick your butt and take you down."

Light rolled her eyes. "You're the easiest possible opponent I could've faced," she countered. "I read your every move like a book, everytime."

"Ha! But you can't get away with cheaply kicking me this time," Miriam rebutalled. "My pure athletic skills will finally shut you up. I'll prove to everyone that I can outclass you. So bring it!" She clenched her fists and held it up to Light's face.

"Tch," Light grunted, pushing away Miriam's fist. "You're bragging is only gonna make things sweeter when we inevitably sweep you, 3-0." Afterwards, both Miriam and Light growled at each other.

Meanwhile, Shane and Colleen were a couple feet behind and exchanged smiles with each other. "Good luck out there, Colleen," Shane said.

"You too," Colleen replied. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun. I love playing beach volleyball!"

"It is a fine sport, indeed," Shane agreed, giving a thumbs up.

Colleen giggled. "I love the way you talk," she confessed.

Shane chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's my super hero dialect, I guess," he stated, causing Colleen to smile adorably at him.

Eventually, they all made it to the changing room. A few moments later, Shane stepped out first. He wore some lime green swim trunks with a scale pattern on them and had a matching eye mask as well.

Light came out next, wearing a black two-piece bikini with pink and red rose petals patterned on them. Her body was wrapped by a red beach cover-up and on her feet she wore red sandals.

Next one out was Miriam. She wore a two-piece fuchsia swimsuit. She went up to Shane and nodded. "Ready, pal," she asked.

"Absolutely!" Shane affirmed with a valiant pose.

"Good, we have to win this," Miriam said. "No holding back. Give it your all."

Shane flexed his non-existent muscles. "Oh, don't worry," he assured. "Super Shane is a master at beach volleyball!"

Miriam smirked amusedly. "If you say so," she said.

Finally, Colleen came out wearing a teal bikini. She skipped her way over to Light. "Ooh, look at you," she gawked. "That's a really lovely swimsuit you got there."

Light rolled her eyes in humility. "Thanks, I guess," she grunted.

"You're welcome," Colleen said before pointing at her outfit. "This is my favorite bikini. I wear it all the time when I'm out sunbathing or playing volleyball on the beach."

"So you play volleyball," Light remarked.

Colleen nodded. "Mmhmm," she affirmed. "I'm pretty good too. So, I think we can win this."

The four of them all returned to Chris shortly after. "Welcome back," the host greeted, pointing at the net behind him. "Titans, you get the left side of the net. Beasts, you get the right."

After everyone was situated, Chris pulled out a coin. "Miriam, heads or tails?" he asked. Miriam guessed heads. Chris flipped the coin and retrieved it. "It was heads. You serve first."

Bridgette handed her the ball and then stepped to keep a close eye on the playing field. "I want a fair game, everyone," she said, before nodding towards Miriam. "You may begin now."

Miriam placed a foot back and observed her opponents. Light was in the back while Colleen was in the front. She tossed the ball up in the air, smirking as she did. When it was right, she smacked the ball forward, serving it fiercely.

Light easily bumped the ball in the air and Colleen setted her up again, allowing for Light to hit the ball straight towards Shane. It came at full speed but the hero was undeterred. He managed to hit it up, allowing Miriam to set him up for the return. Shane then took a big leap and spiked the ball.

"I got it," Colleen said, chasing after it. She dove forward, hoping to bounce the ball up to Light but she missed completely and fell face first to the ground.

Bridgette blew a whistle. "Point one for the Beasts," she announced as Shane and Miriam both high-fived each other.

Light picked Colleen up, who shook the sand off of her face. "Try harder next time," she told her.

Colleen hung her head down. "Okay…" she sighed.

Shane served the ball next and Light once again returned it. However, Miriam immediately lunged up and spiked the ball right as it passed the net. It came flaming down and hit Colleen in the stomach. She grunted and fell down as the ball ricocheted away from them.

Chris snickered. "That was too funny," he remarked.

"That's two for the Beasts," Bridgette announced after blowing her whistle.

Miriam laughed as well as she stared directly at Light. "Eat it, twerps," she trashed.

Light crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "It's nowhere near over," she countered. "Keep that cocky attitude of yours down." Miriam stuck her tongue out at her.

Colleen got up, even more disappointed. She turned back and frowned. "I'm sorry, Light," she whimpered.

Light shrugged. "Don't worry about it," she assured. "We have plenty of chances."

Little did Colleen know, Miriam had just served the ball and it was coming right at her. It ended up clunking her in the head and knocking her over. She groaned on the ground as Miriam cheered with Shane.

(xXxXx)

Colleen: Come on, Colleen. Why are you sucking now? All that training for nothing (pouts)

(xXxXx)

While the game was going on, the Titans watched in worry. However, their attention was redirected when a bandaged up Robin arrived. He nonchalantly stood next to others, rubbing his head a little. "What's the score?" he asked.

Harper leaned a bit over to him. "It's three, nothing, Beasts," he explained. "Welcome back."

Ezra approached him next and furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened to you?" he asked concerningly.

Robin gave him a look. "Did you not see me get absolutely brutalized by Fang earlier?" he countered with a question of his own.

Ezra shook his head. "Nah, bro," he said. "I was out busy uhhh… doing something." He glanced over to Luna, who licked her lips and gave him some flirtatious eyebrow raising.

Robin chuckled. "Well, at least you're having a much better time here than I am," he quipped.

Back at the net, Colleen had just missed a set by Light, giving the Beasts another point. She groaned on the ground, disappointed in herself once again. "Why am I so bad right now?" she whined.

Light picked her up by hand and gave a concerned look. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You told me you were good at this."

Colleen nodded. "I am, it's just… I guess I'm distracted by something," she confessed.

Light raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she questioned.

"Well, I think it might be…" Colleen began to explain before trailing off when she looked over towards her team. Her jaw dropped and her eyes lit up. "Robin?"

Colleen suddenly made a T-shape with her hands. "Hey timeout please," she called. Light gave her a look but she kept the gesture. "Please Chris, let me check up on Robin real quick."

Chris sighed but ultimately nodded. "Fine," he said.

Colleen quickly scurried off from the court and headed to Robin, immediately wrapping her arms around him and burrowing her head into his shoulder. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay," she said.

Robin was a bit surprised but smiled through. "Yeah, just a little banged up but still good to compete," he informed her.

Colleen lifted her head up and beamed. "You're one tough cookie," she said. "No shark attack is gonna stop you."

Robin laughed. "I almost pulled an Ezra by nearly wetting my trunks," he admitted.

"Hey…" Ezra said with an unamused frown.

Colleen giggled and playfully tapped Robin's nose. "Oh you are so funny, Robin," she complimented before stepping back and placing her hands on her hips. "Ooh, how do you like my bikini? Teal is totally my color."

"Yeah, it looks great," Robin said, unconsciously staring directly at her cleavage.

Colleen giggled and titled her head a little. "Hey, my eyes are up here, sweetie," she quipped. Robin immediately shrieked in realization and blushed. Ezra cracked up from behind, while Colleen covered her mouth from laughing as well. "Welp, I gotta go back to playing some volleyball. Buh bye, now."

As Colleen skipped away towards her side of the court, Ezra nudged Robin in the arm. "Are you sure you don't have feelings for her?" he asked with a smug smile. "'Cause she's, like, super adorable."

Robin blushed some more. "Just shut up about this," he said in a flustered manner. "You're making this even more awkward for me."

Ezra chuckled a little and patted Robin's shoulder. "My bad, bro," he apologized before leaning a little closer with a cheeky grin. "Don't worry, I was staring at them too."

"Staring at what now?" asked a sudden voice.

Ezra nearly jumped out of his clothes. "Nothing Luna, it's just a joke," he stammered, now feeling awkward himself.

Luna placed her hands on her hip and squinted her eyes in suspicion. "Ha ha," she said dryly. Robin and Ezra both shared awkward smiles with each other.

Meanwhile, back at the volleyball court, Bridgette restarted the match. "It's four to zip," she said. "Miriam is serving."

Miriam smirked and tossed the ball up in the air. She served it towards Colleen, fully expecting her to flub it up. To her surprise, however, she not only was able to hit it, she spiked it. It came barreling towards Shane, who attempted to bump it but instead got hit square in the nuts. He collapsed to the ground in agony, holding onto his crotch as painful tears welled up in his eyes.

Colleen covered her mouth in shock. "Oops, I'm so sorry," she apologized.

Light, however, patted Colleen on the back proudly. "That was good, Colleen," she complimented. "Keep it up." Colleen's apologetic look turned into a huge smile.

Bridgette tossed the ball to Light. "You're serving," she ordered before stepping back and letting the game continue.

Light served the ball and Miriam ultimately volleyed it back. Colleen got the set and that's when Light charged forward and smacked the ball with all her might. It bulleted right towards Miriam but she was undeterred.

She bumped it up, the impact knocking her back a little but Shane was able to set her up again. Miriam then swung her fists and punched the ball to the corner of the Titans' side of the court. Light was unable to return it and the Beasts scored another point.

"Yes!" Miriam wooed. "What a play by me!"

Light growled and clenched her fist. Shane served the ball and Light made sure to spike it back with much force. Shane ran after it and slid with his arms out. He miscalculated things and the ball actually ended up hitting him in the face.

Chris cringed at the sight. "That's gonna leave a mark," he quipped. It was now five to two.

Shane shook himself around as a bump grew on his forehead. He seemed ultimately fine as he was still able to bump up the serve Colleen had just made. Miriam set him up and he volleyed it back.

Light got the return bump and Colleen made the perfect set, allowing Light to hit it hard straight towards Miriam. She did bump it back up but Shane was unable to set it and the Titans earned another point, making the score 5-3 now.

(xXxXx)

Shane: Oh dear… I'm ruining our lead. (takes a deep breath) Don't let it get to ya. Stay focused and prevail. You have to do this to save Miriam!

(xXxXx)

After some more back and forth volleying, the score was finally tied at ten points each. Both teams were very nervous and the players themselves were getting tired. Chris was grinning ear to ear. "The team to earn the next point," he said. "Will win this task."

Miriam was serving this time. Bridgette blew her whistle and the final volley had begun. Miriam tossed the ball up and served it. Light bumped it up to Colleen, who set it back to her. Light spiked it towards Shane but he was able to bump it up.

Miriam set him up after and Shane went for the return. "Super Shane for the win," he boomed.

What seemed to be an error, Shane accidentally hit the ball with his face once again but it somehow ricocheted over the net. Colleen bumped it up and Light gave the set. Colleen smacked the ball, aiming it between both players.

"I got it," Miriam called as she dived forward. She just made it and the ball bounced up her hands. Shane then stabilized the ball with a set and Miriam quickly pulled herself up and made the return.

Light was super quick, though, and she immediately spiked the ball back to them. Miriam had to dive for it once again but she was able to pull it off. Shane set her up and she returned it. This time, aiming it towards Colleen.

Colleen was able to bump it up towards Light, who prepared herself for a spike return. She grimaced at Shane, who gulped in fear. As the ball came towards her, she reeled her arm back and then swung it forward with all the force she could. The sound of the ball colliding with her hand was loud and the speed it came barreling towards Shane was ridiculously fast.

But there was a mishap. Light had hit the ball a bit too low and it clipped the net. Due to the incredible speed and power, it actually was more than just a clip. It flat out tore the net off its poles and kept momentum towards Shane.

Shane was petrified and moments later, he was knocked out by the hit. The ball managed to bounce away but the net wrapped itself completely around the superhero, trapping him up. Colleen and Light shared looks with each other. Miriam was absolutely shocked by what just happened.

Bridgette, however, just blew her whistle. "Well, that's certainly a way to hit the ball back," she remarked. "Unfortunately, it hit the net which means that it technically was a failed volley. Final point goes towards the Beasts."

"Wait, we won?" Miriam asked, flabbergasted.

Chris nodded his head and clapped. "Yep, the Beasts win task numero tres!" he announced.

Miriam suddenly felt a wave of excitement grow in her body. She jumped up and down in the air, pumping her fists. "Woohoo!" she cheered. "We won! We won!"

Chef went up to Shane, who was still tied up in the net. He used scissors to cut him loose and then splashed a pail of water over the superhero. "Wake up already," he grumbled.

Shane sat up, holding onto his head. His perspective was blurry but eventually he was able to see Miriam in full focus. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "We did it, Super Shane," she beamed.

Shane's eyes widened and he leapt up in the air, perfectly fine. "Yippee!" he wooed. "The good guys take the victory!"

Miriam ran up to him and picked him up off his feet, swinging him around in excitement. She then placed him down and turned towards Light. "What did I tell you?" she boasted. "I kicked your butt."

Light crossed her arms. "You won off a technicality," she grunted.

Miriam smirked and approached Light with a smug grin. "A win is still a win," she said before mockingly dancing a circle around her. "I win, you lose. I win, you lose. Light sucks at volleyball. Woo!" Light just rolled her eyes and scowled a little.

Colleen went up to Shane and held her hand out. "Good game," she said. "That was fun."

Shane shook her hand. "Indeed," he said. "You were a worthy opponent."

Miriam looked back at the two and smirked. "Colleen maybe, but Light was too easy to read," she mocked before dancing some more. "I beat Light and it was great. Now she looks bad to her team, hey!"

"Enough!" Light snapped. Afterwards, she stormed away in anger. Colleen gulped and followed after her. She grabbed Light by the hand and worriedly looked up to her. Light took some deep breaths before letting things go with a sigh.

(xXxXx)

Light: Miriam wins due to some fluky BS and then acts like she completely dominated when she barely got by through the skin of her teeth (crosses her arms) Fine, she can have this win and enjoy it as much as she wants. When she loses this next task, I'll be so glad that I'll never have to see her again.

(xXxXx)

Meanwhile, Miriam stood awkwardly on the court for a bit before ultimately shrugging it off. "She's just a sore loser," she remarked. She then continued to dance and gloat to herself. "The Titans are trash. Beasts get the last laugh."

Wayne and Tala watched her, sharing some disapproving looks with each other. "Man, what a showboat," the techno grumbled to Tala.

"Honestly, she's starting to become really irritating," Tala admitted with a frown.

"I totally get ya there," Wayne agreed. "She doesn't know when to shut up either."

"She's violent, she's cocky, she's disruptive," Tala added, counting each example with her fingers. "She's everything I try to avoid."

Wayne nodded along, giving Tala a thumbs up. "You should really tell her off one of these days," he suggested. "I mean, I have. I think it's absolutely necessary to stand your ground with her. Don't let her push you around."

Tala shook her head nervously. "I don't think I have the courage to do it," she confessed.

"Yeah, you do," Wayne assured. "Just act like she's the most illogical concept you can think of. Actually, don't act, she already is."

Tala sighed and rubbed her palm. "You really think I can do it?" she asked.

Wayne patted her on the back. "When the moment's right, unleash all that disdain for her," he suggested. "Trust me, you'll feel good when you do. I can speak from experience. And if she gets mad, screw her. She's going soon anyway."

Tala took a deep breath as she considered every possible outcome. She then straightened herself up a little. "Okay, I'll try to at some point," she said.

Wayne grimaced with delight. "I can't wait to see this," he replied. "Miriam is gonna get what she deserves."

(xXxXx)

Tala: It seems Wayne has given me all the logical willpower to stand my ground. I don't normally like getting angry because sometimes I let myself lose control but for Miriam… (grimaces a little) Hmm, perhaps a bit of unhinged rage would do her good.

(xXxXx)

Chris blew his whistle. "Okay, it's time for task four," he announced. "For this one, I don't need Bridgette so she can take a little break for now." He turned to her and pointed off in the distance. "Chef will escort you to the catering table. Off you go."

Bridgette shrugged and headed out. "See ya later, guys," she farewelled.

Afterwards, Chris gathered all of the campers' attention. "So we did some swimming, some snorkeling and some volleyball," he said, pacing back and forth. "But it's time we build something. That's right, task four is a sandcastle contest and it will involve all of you."

Miriam shared glances with her team. "Perfect, we can tie things up together," she said.

"I'm giving you guys thirty minutes to build the best sandcastle you can," Chris continued, pointing to two spots on the beach. Each team was given pails and shovels by interns and led towards their designated spot.

Chris paced back and forth between the teams. "When time is up," he said. "I'll blow my whistle and then check your creations. Whoever I think has the best castle wins this task."

"Alright guys," Robin said to his team. "Let's bounce back and win this whole thing."

Chris stepped towards a lawn chair that an intern had set up. He sat back and took an ice cold drink from another intern. "Timer starts now," he informed them as he put on sunglasses and some tanning mirrors. "Don't bother me until time's up."

Harper took a pail with a shovel and clicked them together. "Alright everyone," he called. "It's your lucky day. I am quite the expert when it comes to fancy architecture, studying all kinds of rich mansions in my spare time. So you should all follow my lead here."

Colleen shrugged. "If you say so," she said, picking up a pail with a shovel herself. "Well then, what should we do?"

Harper stood up and eyed his teammates carefully. "I'm gonna split you into three groups," he explained. "Light, Colleen, you'll focus on the main tower. Make it as extravagant and detailed as you can. Think like, a Disney castle."

Colleen nodded her head excitedly and scooted up next to Light. "Ooh, I like that idea a lot," she said. "Where do you want us to do it?"

Harper pointed right in front of them. "Where you are is fine," he stated. "I'll have the others build around that. Speaking of… Robin, you'll work with Joshua and build a bunch of smaller spires around theirs."

"Sure thing," Robin said, shuffling his way to be across from Colleen and Light.

Joshua knelt down beside him. "Alright, man," he said. "Guess we'll work together." He then nodded towards Light. "Let us know where to, like, not build. The main tower should be most important, man." Light responded with a firm nod.

Harper then turned to Ezra. "You and Luna will be in charge of the moat," he ordered. "When you got it all nice and dug out, you can fill it up with water. But not too much, okay?"

"Right on, right on," Ezra agreed with some chill nods. He then placed a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Let's get to digging, shall we?"

Luna clapped her hands. "Yippee!" she cheered. "We're gonna make the bestest castle ever!"

"So what will you be doing?" Light asked, as her and Colleen patted some sand together.

"I'll be watching over all of you to make sure everything looks right," Harper explained.

Light frowned a little. "So you'll just stand around and be lazy, I get it," she grumbled.

Harper gave her a look. "Do you have a keen eye for architectural design, like I do?" he asked smugly. Light didn't respond so Harper snidely jutted her head up. "Exactly. Now, chop chop everyone."

(xXxXx)

Light: I know that Harper just doesn't want to get her hands dirty and all but does she have to make it that obvious? (crosses her arms) If she didn't win the first task for us, I'd consider her our weakest link by far.

(xXxXx)

Over by the Beasts, they didn't quite have an immediate plan but Miriam was full speed ahead on something. She was digging with her hands efficiently, raking mounds of sand with her fingers. Afterwards, she wiped them together and looked at her team. "Look at that," she gawked. "Already have a moat."

"Awesome," Van said, taking a pail. "Guess we have our foundation for our castle."

Shane lifted a finger in the air in excitement. "Ooh, can we make a secret superhero hideout?" he asked.

Van shrugged as she filled her pail with sand. "If you can make it work, sure," she permitted, wiping some sweat from her forehead. "At least this time there's a reason why it's hot."

Miriam smirked. "Hawaiian weather, amirite?" she quipped. Van and her then exchanged smiles.

Wayne stood back, not really participating but he glanced over to Tala to see her fidgeting with her hands nervously. He decided to scoot close to her and whisper into her ear. "Nervous or something?" he asked.

"Possibly," Tala whispered back.

"Well, whenever you finally feel comfortable enough to give Miriam a piece of your mind, let me know," Wayne murmured, stealthily pointing towards the dancer.

However, Miriam seemed to notice their secretive chit chat and furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you two talking about?" she asked.

Wayne glared right at her. "It's none of your concern," he answered sternly

Miriam grew a frown as she crossed her arms. "Well, save that stuff for later," she ordered. "We need to work together here." She pointed at Van and Shane who were patting down some sand. "See, they're doing their part."

"It sure is fun," Shane remarked, sharing high-fives with Van.

Wayne rolled his eyes. "Look, I get that you're concerned with us losing because of what you promised," he said. "But, ever heard of the saying 'too many cooks spoil the broth'?"

"Hah, that doesn't apply here," Miriam countered, eyeing over toward the Titans. Harper walked around, observing each of his teammates progress and making sure they were doing things correctly. Their castle seemed to be coming along quite well.

"Look at the Titans," Miriam said, cocking her head towards them. "They're all working together. So come on, what are you waiting for?" She then glared at him and pointed a finger. "And quit bringing up what I promised, I know you secretly want us to lose because of that."

Wayne growled and shared looks with Tala. "Care to jump in now?" he grumbled to her.

Tala sighed and conceded. She attempted to frown right at Miriam, even if it was a bit shaky. "W-w-why would y-y-you make a promise of s-s-omething so risky anyway?" she asked nervously. "S-s-seems quite illogical." Suddenly, she seemed to get a bit of confidence. "But I guess I should've expected that from you."

Miriam crossed her arms again. "Hey! I wanted to make a point that I will do anything for this team," she explained. "I wanted to prove to you all that I am a good teammate. I'm not stupid for trying that, okay?"

All of a sudden, Tala seemed to change. Her glare at Miriam grew much more intense. "Well you're not a good teammate and you never will be!" she snapped. Miriam was flabbergasted and fell silent while Wayne grinned a little as he heard this unfold. Van and Shane stopped their progress and shared disbelieving glances with each other.

Tala pointed a stern finger at Miriam. "You're a complete psycho who doesn't know how to control herself," she berated angrily. "You threaten people all the time. You are reckless and dangerous. All you are is nothing but trouble!"

Miriam felt those words hit her in the gut. It felt more devastating then when Light kicked her there back in the metro station. She dropped her head down as tears were forming in her eyes. "Gosh darn it…" she sighed.

Van empathetically watched her and shook her head. "Come on, Tala," she interjected. "Don't be so mean to my friend like that. You're mad at me, not her."

Tala gritted her teeth. "Well Meghan was my friend," she countered harshly. "She was a kind, sweet person who cared for me and she cared for you too, Van! She got you and I together and what did you do to thank her? Get rid of her."

"Oh dear…" Shane said, cowering a little.

"It's not like that," Van quivered, clasping her hands together pleafully. "I didn't want it to come down between her and Miriam. I jus' thought I had to do what I felt was right. I'm sorry… I'm sorry to Meghan too."

"You didn't even try to talk with me about this," Tala argued, picking herself up and looking down at Van. "Instead you just immediately sided with this psycho because you felt bad. You foolishly went behind my back and you expect me to just forgive you!?"

"But Tala I-" Van tried to defend.

"Don't 'but Tala' me anymore!" Tala snapped, her voice almost reaching a scream. She was at a level of anger no one had seen before. Even Wayne was shocked. "You made your decision. And now my decision is that I'm done with you. I'm done with this team. I'm done with this whole show! I wanna go home!" Tala then ran off as far away as she could from her team.

Shane hopped up. "I gotta go talk to her," he said before he too ran off.

Miriam looked up in worry. "No no no no no," she stammered frantically. "Why are we leaving? Come on, we can still win this. Everything is gonna be alright but we have to win this… Please…"

"Maybe I made the wrong decision," Van whimpered, staring solemnly at the ground.

Miriam reached out to her. "Van please don't turn on me right now," she pleaded. "I promise you if we win this, I'll make things right. I-I-I'll bring this team back together."

Van swatted her away and snarled through her tears. "Maybe Tala was right," she cried, staring directly into Miriam's eyes. "Maybe you're nothing but trouble!" Afterwards, she got up and stormed off as well, leaving Miriam completely distraught.

It was just her and Wayne now. He sat there by their pile of sand and smirked. "Oh well," he said, picking himself up. "See ya at the elimination ceremony." He then left her alone and cackled to himself. Miriam stared at the ground, utterly crushed by the whole situation.

(xXxXx)

Miriam (looking really stressed): Everything has gone to bleep! And now, we're gonna lose this freaking challenge! (smashes her fist against the confessional and screams in frustration) I'm so bleep-ed! So so bleep-ed! I just want a chance to make things right! I didn't want any of this! (cries)

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to Shane, who was running amongst the palm trees. He noticed Tala up ahead, who was slowly trudging along with her head down. "Tala, wait up," he called out, making his way to her.

Tala turned around and furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you want?" she questioned sternly as her rage made her take deep breaths.

Shane stopped in his tracks and caught his breath. "If you're gonna be mad at Van for this, then be just as mad at me too," he said through gasps. He swallowed and then spoke more steadily. "In fact, be even madder because I'm a hypocrite."

Tala tilted her head, still taking deep breaths. "What?" she questioned.

Shane took a slow breath and stepped forward. "When Frank got eliminated and Wayne went behind my back," he continued. "I felt just as betrayed as you did. And then I decided to pull the same move. It's been eating me away since and to see you get so angry at Van when I'm arguably worse…"

Tala shook her head. "You did it because Wayne lied to you," she pointed out. "It's not hypocritical. It was justified. But Van wasn't."

"What about Van's decision was not justified?" Shane asked. "Sure, it would've been nice if she talked to you about it first. But all she was trying to do was stick up for someone who needed it. She wanted to be a hero." Tala rolled her eyes.

"And Miriam is not some psycho either," Shane added. "She is a flawed woman, yes, but she is maybe one of the most honorable people I know. And she's made a strong effort to fix her flaws."

Tala gnashed her teeth. "Don't try to make me sympathize with Miriam," she warned. "She doesn't deserve any heroism. She is a villain."

"You're wrong," Shane deflected. "She's a hero."

"Get real," Tala scoffed.

"Let's think logically," Shane countered. "A hero apologizes for their mistakes. A hero makes an act to better themselves. A hero works hard to succeed for others. A hero, Never. Gives. Up."

Back at the beach, Miriam was still alone. She stared at her team's moat for a bit before pulling out a pail and shovel. She dug around and scooped some sand up, dumping it inside the pail. When it was full, she flipped the pail and slowly removed it, revealing a small mound of sand shaped like a brick pillar.

"I may be alone," Miriam said to herself, quiet and reflective. "But it ain't over until it's over." She then continued to dig some more.

The camera then flashed back to Shane and Tala. "So does that make me a villain for wanting to give up?" Tala asked, crossing her arms.

"Well it certainly doesn't make you a hero," Shane said. "But I wouldn't say you're a villain either. It just makes you someone who wastes their potential to be either."

"What if I don't care about my potential?" Tala rebutalled, tears welling in her eyes. "What if all I'm good for is to be a nervous wreck who can't handle hardships?"

Shane took a few seconds to take what she said all in. He really wanted to make sure what he said was the right thing to say. "Tala, I may not know the reasons you feel the things you feel," he said calmly. "And for that, I can not make you care about your potential. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't care. In fact, I think logically speaking, your potential should be the most important thing you should care about."

Back by the beach, Miriam had now set up a base to her sandcastle. She quietly patted down some areas and then filled up the pail again. "I didn't think I'd be this good at sandcastle making," she murmured to herself. "But hey, that's why I don't believe in my doubts until I test them."

The camera flashed back to Tala, who had a single tear streaming down her face. "Why is it most important?" she asked.

Shane took her by the hand. "Because it allows you to do great things," he said. "Great things that can make a positive impact on the world. And who wouldn't want to do that? That's what being a hero is all about."

Tala took a deep solemn breath as more tears fell down her face. She bit her lip, taking it all in. A familiar weight felt removed, like the one when Meghan had spoken to her. Shane let her sob and cry, giving her the time to let it all out.

"I'm just so overwhelmed…" Tala whimpered. "I don't want to be mad at Van anymore…"

"You don't have to be," Shane assured. "You and Van can make things right. Always remember your potential."

Tala sniffed and wiped her tears with her hand. She then reached over and gave Shane a hug. "I'm not gonna give up," she whispered. "Thank you…"

Shane rubbed the back of her head. "You're welcome, Tala," he replied with a smile. "Times are tough now but better days will be ahead."

Tala let go and took a deep breath. "Well, we still probably will lose today," she said, a bit back to her normal self. "So I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

Shane sighed. "Yeah, I guess," he said before shrugging. "What's another loss, amirite?"

Back by the beach, Miriam had finished up her castle. It was quite impressive with three spires, a brick design and she even was able to have open windows. Miriam wiped her hands together. "Not bad," she said, quite impressed with herself.

Over by the Titans side of the beach, however, their castle seemed to be much more bigger and elaborate. Thanks to Harper's leadership and keen eye for architecture, it seemed pretty obvious their castle was better.

"Check it," Joshua said, pointing towards Miriam. "She's all alone, dude."

Harper gave a little smirk. "Wow, she finally scared them all off," he remarked provocatively.

Light couldn't help but smirk as well. "Tch," she grunted. "They make it so easy for us. Don't they ever tire of losing?"

Colleen giggled as she knelt beside Light. "Guess not," she added, playfully nudging her in the arm. "Can't wait for those showers now."

Light gently grabbed her by the arm. "Will help with the soreness after training," she stated, squeezing her just a bit and causing Colleen to giggle again.

"Yeah, man," Joshua agreed. "Hot water, like, eases muscle tension and all that stuff." Light looked at him indifferently but Colleen smiled and bounced up and down.

"Oh Joshua, you're so cool," Colleen giggled. "Don't you agree, Light?" She gave some cutesy eyes after.

Light looked at her, then at Joshua, then back at her again. "Yeah, sure…" she reluctantly agreed.

Joshua smiled and gave a nod. "Well thanks Light," he said, giving her a wink. Light looked down at the ground and stayed quiet.

(xXxXx)

Light: Ah geez… (rubs the back of her neck) Why do I feel like I'm actually warming up to the guy? I mean, he made me angry only a few hours earlier. (sighs) I think just seeing Colleen and him get along well has just… Ahhh, whatever. I'm not gonna think much into this.

(xXxXx)

Chris blew his whistle. "Alright everyone," he called. "Time is up! Stop what you're doing. It's time to decide which team had the best castle. First up, the Beasts."

Miriam sat there alone, sighing nervously as Chris stepped forward to observe her castle. He tapped his chin in thought. "Not too shabby," he said as Miriam held her hands together in prayer. "But I think this is very beatable. Let's see how the Titans did."

As he left, Miriam checked to see her opponent's castle. She sighed in defeat immediately. "Great…" she grumbled.

Robin wiped some sand from his hands. "Ready guys?" he asked with a huge smile to his team.

"Heck yeah, bro," Ezra cheered, giving him a high-five. "We're so gonna win!"

Luna hopped up and down, clapping her hands. "Aw sugar, we're celebrating for the third time in a row" she shouted before leaping up into Ezra's arms. "Hot tub, here I come!"

Ezra laughed and spun Luna around, the two kissing each other while they did. Unfortunately, Ezra misstepped and began to topple over. The rest of the Titans gasped as things went into slow-motion. Ezra opened his eyes and saw that he was heading straight towards their castle. "Ohhhhhh fuuuuuu-" he yelled, his voice deeper due to the slow motion.

As soon as Ezra and Luna crashed into the castle, things went back to normal speed but the deed had been done. The Titans' sandcastle was ruined and Chris had just arrived to check their efforts.

"Wow, you made a sand 'Ezra and Luna'?" the host remarked sarcastically. "Talk about blowing it so badly."

Harper was furious and stamped on the ground. "You freaking morons!" he screamed. "Look at what you've done!" Light face palmed, Colleen and Robin shared worried looks and Joshua was as nonchalant as ever.

Ezra and Luna picked themselves up, completely embarrassed by their mistake. "Crap, I mucked this one up so badly," Ezra groaned.

"But it was fun at least," Luna said with a hopeful shrug.

Ezra shook his head. "No Luna," he denied. "We are in deep trouble." Luna sighed and hung her head low.

Chris snickered. "Right you are, my friend," he mocked, before pointing towards Miriam. "The Beasts totally win this task."

Miriam sprung up and down, cheering and wooing to herself. "Oh my god, it's a freaking miracle!" she shouted before unleashing a mighty, triumphant "woo" and then laughing in complete disbelief.

"Despite being all alone, Miriam absolutely carries," Chris announced, grinning ear to ear. "Man, this is some good TV."

Miriam jumped around some more and then pointed at the Titans. "Suck it, twerps!" she boasted. "I own you!"

Light crossed her arms and scoffed. "You got extremely lucky," she countered with an aggravated glare.

"Don't care, still won," Miriam deflected as she danced to an imaginary beat. "I'm not going home just yet, baby!" She said that while perfectly matching it to her dance rhythm.

(xXxXx)

Harper (glowing red in anger): Oh that does it! I'm sick of playing nice! (pulls out his knife) It's time I do a little sabotaging again (giggles sinisterly)

(xXxXx)

Chris blew his whistle again to silence all the campers. "Alright, we will begin the final task shortly," he said before pointing towards Miriam. "You have until Bridgette comes back to find your team. Otherwise, you'll be pulling triple duty today."

Miriam crossed her arms and smirked confidently. "Hmmph, wouldn't be an issue for me anyways," she boasted.

Just then, a pair of footsteps sounded behind her. Miriam turned around and saw Shane with Tala. She smiled at them. "Welcome back," she greeted.

Shane sighed. "How bad did we lose?" he asked solemnly.

Miriam couldn't help but beam a little. "More like, 'how bad did the Titans lose?'" she corrected, causing Shane and Tala to look at each other in disbelief.

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" Tala asked.

Miriam nodded her head and excitedly gave a deuces gesture. "We're 2-2, baby!" she exclaimed. Shane and Tala both were ecstatic, sharing high-fives with each other. Miriam laughed heartily. "It was wild too. They ruined their own sandcastle."

"Whaaat?" whined a nearby voice.

Miriam turned towards it and smirked. "Why so disappointed, Wayne?" she asked smugly. "Didn't think I could carry this team to victory?"

"Well, we haven't won yet," Wayne reminded, pointing a finger at her. "So keep that confidence of yours in check." Miriam perked her head up in confidence as Wayne rolled his eyes.

"Well, you got four out of five back already," Chris interjected. "Wonder what Van's doing?"

Shane looked around for a bit. "I can go find her," he volunteered. "She has to hear the good news." He then ran off to search, leaving Tala with the two rivals. She wasn't exactly the most comfortable with this so she had her head down as to avoid making eye contact.

Miriam watched her gently and sighed. "Hey look, about earlier," she said. "I'm sorry if I ever made you feel unsafe. I know I can be a bit much sometimes."

"Tell me about it," Wayne snidely remarked.

Tala rubbed her forearm. "It's fine…" she murmured. "I apologize for calling you a psycho… I was just very angry and stressed out. And I think I went a bit too far with it."

Miriam smiled a little. "All good, Tala," she assured. "I'm not mad at all. Especially since we have a chance to win this thing altogether."

Tala lifted her head up, facing Miriam directly. "Yeah, I really don't think another loss would do us any good," she stated.

Wayne scoffed a little. "Well it would make us Miriam-less, which I think is very good," he said with a smug look.

"Oh would you be quiet Wayne," Miriam deflected, rolling her eyes. "You're, like, obsessed at this point." Wayne crossed his arms and grumbled to himself.

(xXxXx)

Wayne: Oh now I'm obsessed? Ha! Says the one who wouldn't shut up about me using my rocket boots in a stupid foot race. (crosses his arms) Oh, I'm gonna make sure we lose this last task. Miriam will be gone, once and for all!

(xXxXx)

Shane was back amongst the palm trees, keeping an eye out for his teammate. He called out for her occasionally and kept an open ear. Eventually, he heard some sobbing in the distance and quickly followed the sound.

Van was sitting on a palm tree stump, face burrowed into her arms as she sobbed heavily. Shane ran up to her and placed a hand on her back. Van poked her head up, her cheeks covered in fallen tears. "Oh shi-" she said, a bit startled. "Nah, nah, you're not supposed to see me like this." She quickly wiped away some tears but it was hard to hide it.

Shane bit his lip and rubbed her back gently. "It's gonna be alright, Van," he soothed. "I've talked to Tala and she says she doesn't want to be mad at you anymore."

Van sniffed as she cleaned up her cheeks. "Really?" she questioned with a bit of hope.

Shane nodded. "It's all under control now," he assured.

Van coughed a little as she tried to feel better. "I just wanted to have fun and chill," she confessed. "When I first applied, I never thought I would be this stressed. But these past few days have not been what I expected. I'm finna lose my mind, ya hear?"

Shane sighed. "I feel the same way," he shared. "This team has been through a lot but I must stay strong."

Van took a slow, deep breath. "I must too," she said, regaining a bit of her composure. "I can't let a little drama ruin my vibe. I'm finna come out swinging now." She paused for a bit. "And I need to tell Miriam that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at her."

"You still have a chance," Shane replied.

"But she will be gone soon," Van whined. "I need the time to fix things up with her, y'know?"

"Not exactly," Shane denied. "She won the sandcastle task. There's still a chance we can win this whole thing."

Van's eyes lit up. "She did?" she asked. Shane nodded his head. Van felt a sense of relief as she faced forward with her jaw dropped. "Unbelievable. She really is a good teammate."

Shane held out his hand. "Come on," he called. "We need to head back with the others."

Van grabbed Shane's hand and the two headed back towards their team at the beach. When they arrived, Miriam cheered them on. "Here we go," she wooed. "We're back in motion."

Van smiled and reached out to Miriam, giving her hug. "I'm sorry, girl," she apologized. "I lost my cool. I never meant the things I said."

Miriam patted her back. "It's okay, Van," she reassured. "Now let's kick the Titans' butt one last time today."

Van stepped back and nodded her head a few times. "You right, you right," she agreed.

Tala inched closer to Van and cleared her throat. "Hey," she greeted shyly.

Van turned to her and smiled warmly. "Hey there," she replied, holding her hand out. "You feelin' betta?"

Tala sighed. "Yeah," she affirmed with her head down. "I just wanna say… Um, I just… God, come on just say it, Tala."

Van lifted her head up and gazed into Tala's eyes. Tala blushed profusely but mustered up a precious smile. "I forgive you, Van," she finally managed to say. "And I… Ummm… I…"

Tala was interrupted by Van leaning in and kissing her on the lips. Miriam and Shane both cheered with excitement, while Wayne seemed uninterested. Tala and Van held their kiss for a bit until Chris interrupted them with his whistle.

"Alright, Bridgette is back," the host announced. "Enough of this sappy romance." Van and Tala blushed together, sharing loving smiles with each other.

(xXxXx)

Tala (blushing): (takes a couple awkward blinks) Well that just happened. Crazy how much can change in a matter of minutes. (straightens herself up) But you know what, I feel good. I do need Van. I l-l-love (immediately covers her mouth and lets go with a sigh) Don't go that far just yet…

(xXxXx)

Chris gathered everyone up and stood in front of them with his hands behind his back. To his right, stood Bridgette with her surfboard. "The final task you'll be doing is some good 'ol surfing," the host announced, pulling out the randomizer. "Van and Ezra will be our surfers today."

Van bit her lip. "But I don't know how to surf," she confessed worriedly.

"Same here," Ezra added.

Chris gestured towards Bridgette. "That's why she's here," he said as Bridgette nodded along. "Go get in your swimsuits and then I'll give Bridgette about thirty minutes to teach you the basics of surfing. Afterwards, we will begin the head-to-head surfing competition, in which Bridgette, Chef and I will be judges."

"Thirty minutes, huh," Ezra remarked. "Are you sure that's enough time?"

Bridgette smiled assuredly. "I'm a really good teacher," she informed them. "Plus, we won't expect much from you. But hey, if you can catch a stellar wave then you might be the winner, my friend."

"See, there's nothing to worry about," Chris said, rubbing his hands deviously.

Van rolled her eyes. "You really expect me to jus' believe you after all you've done today," she said.

Chris snickered. "Of course not," he replied before pointing towards the changing room. "Now, go on. We don't have all day, alright?"

Ezra and Van shared shrugs before heading over towards the changing room together. Van went inside the girl's side, Ezra wents inside the boy's.

Eventually, Ezra came out of the changing room first. He wore just some plain blue swim trunks. He did, however, have a nice set of abs that Luna was obviously enamored over. "Ooh baby," she wooed. "Look how sexy my boyfriend is!"

Ezra laughed and gave her a wink. "Thanks, babe," he flirted before walking over to Chris and Bridgette.

Meanwhile, Van finished up her changing and stepped out wearing a blue two-piece bikini. She walked on over to the others with a strut and smiled. "Ready to learn how to surf," she said before turning over to her team and waving. "Wish me luck, y'all."

Miriam gave her a thumbs up. "You got this, Van," she cheered. "You're gonna win it all for us."

Tala blushed as she couldn't help but stare at Van in her swimsuit. Van noticed this and laughed, blowing her a kiss. "I look good, I know," she quipped. Tala blushed some more.

Bridgette handed the two surfers some practice boards. "We'll train you on these," she explained. "Should go smoothly with me around."

"Okay, girl," Van said, scratching her chin. "So are we getting real boards after?"

"Yes, your real boards are over there," Chris affirmed, pointing towards a wooden stand that propped up two surfboards vertically. "The red one is Ezra's. The blue one is Van's."

"All clear, guys?" Bridgette asked the two. They both nodded and she then took her board towards the water. "Alright, follow me into the sea. It's surf lesson time."

Chris turned to the other campers. "You guys can chill amongst yourselves, in the meantime," he suggested. "I'll blow my whistle once they're ready."

(xXxXx)

Van: I guess it's never too late to try new things. I don't have a deep fear of the ocean or anything but yeah, I'm still a bit nervous. (takes a deep breath) Gotta win this for Miriam, y'all. I do not want to see her go today.

(xXxXx)

Bridgette led Ezra and Van into a deeper part of the water. "First things first," she said. "Let's paddle to get some speed." She hopped on the board, laying on it with her belly and began stroking her arms to move. Ezra and Van followed suit, steadily trying to get the hang of it.

Bridgette smiled as she got off her board. "That's good, that's good," she complimented. "Try to get used to paddling around like this for a bit."

Ezra splashed around before seeming to get a good grasp of a proper motion. "Whoa, we're totally, like, surfing, my dudettes," he said jokingly.

Van paddled along with him. "Yeah, this isn't so bad," she realized. "Now what?"

Bridgette hopped back on her board, paddled some more and then got up to her feet effortlessly. "See if you can balance yourself," she ordered. "Make sure to keep your knees bent and your arms loose. Also, legs have to be apart but not too far apart."

As Bridgette continued to teach them some more about surfing, the other campers waited patiently and chatted with one another. Joshua, in particular, was dragged by Harper somewhere away from the crowd. He furrowed his eyebrows as he was taken. "What's happening, man?" he asked.

Harper shushed him and then led him behind the changing room. "It's time to sabotage," he told the skateboarder.

Joshua smirked. "What do you have in mind?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm gonna slice up one of the boards," Harper suggested, pulling out his knife. "Most likely Van's. When she rides it, hopefully it will snap in half."

Joshua adjusted his beanie. "Why Van's?" he asked.

Harper placed his hands on his hips. "So we can win, dummy," he scoffed. "Now, I need you to distract the others while I do this."

"Okay but, like, don't you think this is a good opportunity to possibly get rid of one of our own teammates?" Joshua suggested. "After all, Ezra is surfing and, like, you did say you wanted either him or Robin gone. Something about them being too close, if I remember correctly, man."

"Yes, but remember what Wayne said?" Harper countered. "If the Beasts lose, Miriam is gone. And she's one of their best players."

"She's also, like, a huge drama magnet, dude," Joshua added. "And if we keep her around then, like, maybe her team will implode on themselves and stuff."

Harper rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmmm, you do have a point," he remarked. "Plus, it's not like we won't have other opportunities to get rid of her later."

"We can also, like, focus on controlling our team," Joshua said, grimacing a little. "Y'know, before it's too late." He then reached out and playfully pinched Harper on the cheek. "Think ahead, gorgeous."

Harper swatted him away and rolled his eyes a little. "You know, I'm wasting a perfectly good hot shower if I go through with your plan," he grumbled. "I'll have to keep washing myself in the stream, which I absolutely loathe doing."

Joshua smirked and patted him on the behind. "You'll be alright, dude," he assured, causing Harper to abruptly gasp a little.

Harper glared at him for a bit before rolling his eyes. "Fine," he conceded. "We'll do it your way again." He then fiercely yanked the skateboarder close and held up his knife to him. "But if you ever touch my butt like that again then this will be going through your filthy, disgusting hands."

Joshua shrugged aloofly. "Whatever, man," he said. Harper released him with an offended scoff. He held his head up snidely before departing the area and making his way towards the surfboards in a sneaky manner.

Meanwhile, Joshua went back to all of the remaining campers. He stood atop a sandy bank and pulled out a foldable skateboard from his jacket. "Man, surfing is, like, so much lamer than skateboarding," he said, catching the interests of those around him.

"Hah, is that so?" Miriam replied with a smirk.

Joshua nodded. "I think so," he said before dropping his skateboard to the ground and stepping onto it. "Check out my moves, dude." Afterwards, he started nailing some sick flatland tricks, like the Truckstand and Anti-Casper.

Colleen's jaw dropped. "Wow, that was so cool," she complimented.

"That's not all, man," Joshua said before he kicked the ground to gain some speed. He leaned into a U-turn then Ollied up into the air and nailed an Impossible with ease. "Sick right?"

Robin clapped his hands. "Heck yeah," he wooed. "You got the skills, bro."

Miriam rolled her eyes, pretending to look like she was unimpressed. "It wasn't that cool," she lied.

Joshua smirked. "Well, you can't, like, do what I did while surfing," he countered, before showing off some more tricks to his appreciating audience.

Meanwhile, Harper made it to the surfboards, making sure no one was watching him. To his surprise, however, there was someone else there. It was Wayne and he was holding some small device in his hands. "What're you doing?" the techno asked.

Harper furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing?" he asked back.

Wayne was quiet for a bit but ultimately obliged. "Don't tell my team but I'm self-sabotaging," he explained. "I want us to lose so Miriam is gone for good."

Harper grew an amused smirk. "Interesting," he said, rubbing his chin. "Well, what a coincidence." He then pulled out his knife. "I'm self-sabotaging too."

Wayne sucked in his cheek and seemed intrigued. "So you're the schemer on your team," he remarked.

"You could say that," Harper agreed with a shrug.

Wayne sighed and looked around for a bit. "Hey, listen, let us lose this time," he suggested. "Afterwards, I can help out with whoever you need to go."

Harper thought about it for a sec and then shook his head. "Nah, not interested," he denied before taking his knife and slicing the backside of the red surfboard. "Looks like you're dealing with the hothead for one more night."

Wayne growled and placed his device on the back of the blue board anyway. "If that's how you wanna play," he snarled. "Okay, let's leave it up to chance then."

Harper giggled sinisterly. "Ooh, I like that very much," he agreed before walking away with a cheerful pep in his step. Wayne stood there for a bit, fuming before he kept his cool and left the surfboards as well.

(xXxXx)

Harper: Like Joshua said, keeping Miriam around when she's such a drama magnet for her team makes so much sense. Let her stay and erode her team to dust, while I work on my masterplan to win this show all under the radar. (grimaces) But if fate decides her to go, well then at least it'll be entertaining to see both surfers plummet into the sea like ragdolls (laughs mischievously)

(xXxXx)

Eventually, it had been thirty minutes. Chris blew his tried and tested whistle once again. "It's surfing competition time," he said before looking over towards Bridgette. "How's it looking over there?"

Bridgette gave a thumbs up. "I have high hopes," she shared.

Chris nodded and stepped towards the surfboards. "Van, you'll start us off first," he said. "Come get your pro board now."

As Van took her practice board towards the shore, Bridgette followed closely. "So it seems you and Tala have made amends, I see," she observed.

Van turned to her and couldn't help but smile. "Heck yeah, girl," she affirmed. "Things are chill once again."

"Well, I'm so happy for you and her," Bridgette said, the two finally making it to shore. She gave Van a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You seem like a really sweet and wonderful person. I can tell just from looking at you."

"Oh stop," Van deflected modestly. "But thanks, boo. And thanks fo the advice from earlier too. Definitely helped me out a lil." She then grew a cheeky grin. "Heh, always felt like you were underrated on this show."

Bridgette laughed. "Good luck, Van," she said. Van nodded and parted ways with her. She headed towards Chris, who handed her the blue surfboard. Then she approached the shore and awaited Chris' orders.

"It's simple," Chris explained. "You'll be given a full minute to show off what you learned. After that, we'll score based on our own discretion. However, time can also stop as soon as you wipeout. So try not to, okay?"

Van nodded her head and stepped into the water until she was about waist deep. Chris raised his hand up in anticipation. "On the count of three," he said. "One… Two… Three!" He shot his hand down back to his side.

Van quickly laid on her board and paddled her way down the sea, keeping an eye out for incoming waves. Meanwhile, Chris took a seat, alongside Chef, watching carefully with his stopwatch. Bridgette stood separately, pulling lifeguard duty, just in case.

Van could see a big wave coming up ahead. She did as she was taught and turned around her board, awaiting for the wave to arrive. She readied herself for the hop up. Once she felt her board being pushed from behind, she followed as instructed and hopped to her feet on the board. She was now surfing along a wave.

Van looked down a bit, impressed with herself. "Hey, I did it," she said excitedly. "I'm surfing a wave, y'all."

Back at the beach, the Beasts cheered her on with the exception of Wayne. He sneakily pulled out some remote control and grimaced to himself. "Alright, enough fun for her," he grumbled before pressing a button.

Underneath Van's surfboard, the device Wayne had planted began buzzing rapidly. Van felt her board vibrate intensely. She felt her whole body begin to lose grip. "What's going on?" she pondered as she tried her best to keep her balance. However, it was too much and she fell backwards off her board.

"Ooh, wipeout!" Chris cringed. "Welp, Van's run is over and what a pretty underwhelming run it was. She barely caught a wave. I'm giving it a 3."

Chef rubbed his chin a bit. "Form was nice and the wave she caught was quite big," he grumbled. "But too bad she couldn't capitalize. 3 as well from me."

Chris looked over to Bridgette. "What about you, surfer girl?" he asked.

Bridgette sighed disappointedly. "I really wish I could give her more but…" she said, stopping a bit to check on the Beasts. "Sorry, it's only a two from me."

Chris grinned. "Wow, she was harsher than both me and you," he remarked, sharing smirks with Chef.

Miriam looked down at the ground in shame. She felt a sense of unease and dread in her body. "Why…" she whined to herself. Wayne and Tala shared looks, Wayne's being more devious.

Shane greeted Van as she reached her way back to the beach. He took her by the hand and headed back to the others. Van didn't even wanna look at her team. She was so disappointed in herself. "I'm so sorry, guys," she apologized solemnly. "I blew it."

Miriam rubbed one of her palms. "I've accepted my fate already," she sighed. "It was nice being your teammate, everyone."

Van reached out to her. "You don't have to go through with your promise," she said. "We can just vote off normally."

Miriam shook her head. "I said if I fail once more, I deserve to go," she recalled. "I am not gonna go back on my word."

"But I failed, girl," Van countered.

"We are a team," Miriam said. "If one of us fails, we all do. That's how it always is. I made my decision. It's fine, Van." Van wanted to say something back but Chris interrupted them with his whistle.

"So, with a measly 8 points total, the Titans got this one in the bag," Chris said, gesturing over Ezra. "Come get your board, dude."

Ezra pumped his fists in the air as he ran to get it. "I'm ready to rock it!" he wooed, picking up the red surfboard. He headed to the shore until he was waist deep. Chris gave him the signal and he was off paddling towards an incoming wave.

When he saw one getting close, he did the same as Van and turned his back against it, waiting for it to start pushing his board. After a few moments, the wave had arrived and Ezra grinned ear to ear. "Surf's up, my dudes!" he cheered before hopping up to his feet on the board.

As soon as he caught balance, his board began to snap. Unsure of what was happening, Ezra fell right through, wiping out before the wave really even did much. It was a shocking site to all. The Titans were crushed. The Beasts were in disbelief. Chris and Chef were snickering with each other. Bridgette quickly made haste and swam after him.

Chris stopped his stopwatch and shook his head. "Sheesh," he groaned. "I knew we bought these surfboards cheap but I didn't think they would be THAT cheap."

"I don't think I can even give that a one," Chef confessed, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Chris nodded. "Same here," he said.

"Wait, does this mean…?" Miriam pondered hopefully.

Chris turned back to her and smiled. "I think it does," he said with a lot of enthusiastic anticipation. "The Bionic Beasts finally win their first challenge!"

Altogether, the Beasts (with the exception of Wayne, who was just irritated and flabbergasted) cheered and jumped around in excitement. Miriam then did a frontflip and landed with a knee slide, belting out an iconic "woo", like she had just scored the winning goal in a soccer match.

"The reverse sweep, baby!" Miriam cheered, shooting back up to her feet and grimacing at the Titans, who were not amused with her antics. "You're like the Atlanta Falcons; You choked!" She then laughed in excitement and ran back to her team.

Van started swaying her hips, snapping her fingers and bobbing her head. "Oh we 'bout to get turnt up, heyyy!" she wooed as she then grabbed Tala by the hands. "Come on baby girl, let's celebrate."

Tala blushed but smiled. "Oh Van, you're too much," she swooned. Van laughed and the two gave each other a nice celebratory kiss.

Shane then jumped in front of them and posed valianty. "The good guys prevail!" he boomed.

Van laughed. "That's right, superhero," she agreed before smooching Tala again.

Chris smiled and clapped his hands. "Honestly, I'm so proud," he sniffed before going back to a more indifferent demeanor. "Well, not really but at least you guys didn't lose again. Hate to have another Team Victory situation."

(xXxXx)

Wayne: (sits quietly in the confessional for a few moments before abruptly yelling in frustration and pounding the confessional wall repeatedly)

(xXxXx)

Bridgette brought back a bummed out Ezra to the shore. He was drenched and had a sea urchin stuck to him. Luna ran up to the two with worried eyes. "Oh no, we lost sugar," she whined. "How could such a terrible thing happen to us? Does God hate me? Does God hate the Titans? Oh, woo is me!"

Ezra pulled off the urchin and sighed. "I have no idea why my board snapped," he groaned. "This sucks." The camera quickly flashed to Harper, who stood there with his knife, chuckling proudly to himself.

Back by Chris, he gathered everyone's attention. "Well, after a long hot summer day of various beach activities," he began. "It's time we finally move on. Beasts, congrats on winning again. Your showers and jacuzzi will arrive at your camp shortly." The Beasts once again cheered with one another.

Chris turned to the Titans. "You guys blew it badly," he mocked. "And because of that, I'll be seeing you at the elimination ceremony."

Robin sighed as he eyed his team empathetically. "Can't win 'em all, I guess," he said.

"Bridgette, your helicopter home is that way," Chris informed, jutting his thumb behind him. "Thanks for stopping by."

Bridgette gave him a smile. "Anytime Chris," she said before heading out. "Later everyone."

"Ooh bye, Bridgette," Colleen farewelled. "It was such a pleasure meeting you."

Before Bridgette left entirely, she made sure to stop by Van specifically. "If you ever wanna meet up sometime after the show, I'm down," she offered. "Could do a little surfing together, if you like."

Van gave her a hug. "Thanks so much, girl," she replied. "Imma hold you to that offer."

Bridgette smiled as they let go. "Take care," she said.

"You too," Van replied with a parting wave.

After Bridgette left, Ezra and Luna slowly walked back together to their team while Chris and Chef watched them all. "We'll see you in the safe room in five minutes," the host announced.

Meanwhile, the Titans stood around disappointed. "Now what?" Joshua asked.

"We gotta think of who to vote off," Light answered, staring directly at Ezra.

"Ah gee, I'm so boned," the rocker groaned.

"As you should be," Harper interjected. "You ruined my freaking sandcastle."

Light turned to him and rolled her eyes. "You didn't do anything," she said sternly.

"I won the swim race," Harper defended, glaring at her. "So don't even think about voting for me. I helped out a lot, you muscle brained idiot."

Light cracked her knuckles. "You wanna say that again," she growled.

"I'm not afraid of you," Harper deflected, crossing his arms. "Go ahead, make a fool of yourself by hurting one of your teammates. Maybe we should vote for you since you're always so grouchy all the time."

Light scoffed and crossed her arms. She seemed flustered, almost as if she had no comeback. Joshua stepped in and shook his head. "Stop it with the bad vibes, dudes," he ordered. "Look, we lost but, like, we don't have to immediately fight with one another, man."

Colleen nodded and grabbed the hands of both. "Yeah, I agree," she said. "Harper, Light, I really like you both. I don't want to see you be angry with each other. So please, just apologize to each other and move on. It's just one loss."

Harper bit his lip and sighed. "Sorry Light," she apologized. "Guess I was just a little frustrated."

Light looked down at the ground. "Sorry too," she replied.

Colleen gave them both gentle pats on the arm. "Thank you," she said. "Let's keep our heads up now. We vote for who we feel like deserves it but don't let it bring us down."

Luna nodded along. "Queen Colleen is right," she agreed. "Win or lose, we're still a strong team. I mean, big strong lady alone is more strong than the Beasts combined, woo."

Colleen nodded a little. "Right," she said. "So let's say we head out now." Many of the Titans shrugged and went with her towards the safe room.

Robin paced up to her and greeted her with a friendly smile. "That was fantastic, Colleen," he said.

Colleen stopped in her tracks and tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Robin stopped with her, gesturing towards where they came from. "Back there," he explained. "You handle that conflict like a pro."

"I did?" Colleen questioned, seeming unsure of herself. "I mean, I just didn't want to see my friends fight like that."

"Yeah," Robin replied with a nod. "And you took control of the situation and settled things down nicely."

Colleen scratched her head. "Did I really?" she asked, still not believing it.

Robin laughed amusedly. "Absolutely, Colleen," he affirmed, grinning ear to ear. "Heck, you might be a better team leader than me."

Colleen's eyes widened with glee. Her pupils sparkled as she clasped her hands together. "Oh you're so sweet," Colleen said, quickly giving Robin a big hug and surprising him a bit. He looked over to Ezra, who raised his eyebrows smugly. Robin rolled his eyes in response but couldn't help but blush a little.

(xXxXx)

Ezra: I'm telling you, man. I think she's really into him. (shrugs) He should give it a shot is all I'm saying.

Colleen: You know, even though we lost, I must say that I'm genuinely enjoying my stay here now. Definitely better than just a few days before (sighs) It's gonna really stink trying to vote off any of my teammates. I love my team so much.

(xXxXx)

It was now some time later and the island morphed back to normal. At the Twisted Titans' camp, many of the campers were getting ready for the elimination ceremony. Robin sat in a tent with Ezra and the two seemed nervous.

"I'm kinda worried, Robin," Ezra said, twiddling his thumbs. "I feel like I'm the biggest target and I really don't wanna go home right now. I'm having so much fun as of late."

"I mean, I won't vote for you but I don't really know who else to vote for," Robin confessed.

"Yeah, it's gonna be tough," Ezra said with a sigh. "Fingers crossed that I'll come out alright."

"Yep," Robin agreed with a nod.

Just then, Luna popped her head in their tent. "Hey Mr. Rockstar buddy," she greeted with an unusually serious look on her face. "I need to talk with you in private."

Ezra looked at her and shrugged. "Sure Luna," he conceded before looking back at Robin. "Guess I'll see ya later."

"Alright, peace," Robin farewelled as Luna took Ezra away, although not with as much energy as she usually would.

(xXxXx)

Robin: It feels so weird to be in this position. I, of course, don't want my best friend to go but he was a major reason why we lost. I could vote for Luna but why would I do that to my best friend's girlfriend. (rubs his chin in thought) Maybe I'll vote for, like, Joshua or Harper or something. It's highly unlikely they'll be a target for anyone.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Bionic Beasts' camp where Chris, Chef and a couple interns were there. The interns and Chef were hooking up the showers on one side of the camp while Chris booted up the jacuzzi on the other, letting the bubbles flow around. "What a first reward to get, amirite?" he said to the Beasts.

"Cannonball!" Shane yelped as he lunged into the jacuzzi, splashing warm water all over Chris. "Oops…"

Chris looked unamused as his hair and shirt dripped. "Nice one, dude," he said sarcastically before being handed a towel by an intern. He quickly dried up his hair and then smiled. "Welp, guess my time here is done. I need to go get changed and then I have an elimination ceremony to attend. Surprisingly, I won't be seeing you there, so goodnight folks."

As he left, Chef finished up the hot showers and gave the Beasts a thumbs up. "All good to go," he said before he and the interns left the camp as well.

Van scurried to the showers. "I call dibs," she said. The showers were installed next to each other and resided inside a small wooden hut. Inside were the three porcelain showers, a small room to change clothes and floral curtains providing some privacy for each shower.

Van took her toiletries and a spare set of clothes and entered the hut to do her business. Meanwhile, Miriam was still in her swimsuit and so she decided to ease into the jacuzzi alongside Shane. "Ahhh," she moaned, closing her eyes. "Feels nice to have a stress free night."

"You got that right," Shane said, letting the power jets massage his back. "This jacuzzi is amazing."

Miriam chuckled with a smile. "Enjoy it, Shane," she said. "You deserve every bit of this prize. You single-handedly brought this team back together. I owe you one, pal."

Suddenly, Wayne stepped into the jacuzzi with his arms crossed. He sat across the two and looked annoyed. "I can never get my way, huh," he grumbled.

Miriam and Shane shared glances before Miriam leaned in a bit. "Listen Wayne," she said. "I wanna make a truce with you. We obviously haven't been on the same wavelength since the very beginning. But now that we've won, I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to set our differences aside." She then held out her hand to him.

Wayne stared at it for a bit before sighing. "Fine," he agreed, shaking her hand. "Truce accepted."

Miriam smiled and retracted her hands afterwards. "Great to hear," she said before noticing Tala sitting on a log bench by herself with her arms crossed. "Hey, come join us in the jacuzzi."

Tala looked over towards them and felt a bit nervous. "Uhh sure," she shakily conceded. She got up and headed to the jacuzzi but something was on her mind.

Miriam tilted her head. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Tala took a deep breath. "I know things are going fine now," she said, stepping in the hot water. "But I just want to hear from you straight. If we don't win this next challenge, do you promise to not get angry at us?"

Miriam bit her lip and eyed around the others. They all seemed curious about her answer. She ultimately nodded her head. "I promise, Tala," she assured. "The old ways of our team are gone now. This will be a new era for the Beasts. An era of cooperation and synergy. I feel like we've hit rock bottom already. And now, we're heading our way to the top."

Tala eased a bit into her seat and smiled. "I hope to science that you're right," she said.

Shane smiled and reached to both of the girls, wrapping an arm around them. "Always the squad," he cheered. "Never forget that." He then shared a friendly nod towards Wayne.

(xXxXx)

Shane: If Tala can forgive Van then I can forgive Wayne. It is needed if we wish to move on and be stronger. My intuition tells me that great things for the Beasts are up ahead. (joyful tears well up in his eyes) You saved the day again, Super Shane.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Twisted Titans' camp. Inside one of their tents was Harper, Colleen and Joshua. Harper was showing Colleen some of her beauty supplies while Joshua watched them quietly.

"So," Harper said, shuffling through his bag. "We may have lost but are you still up for that makeover?"

Colleen clapped and nodded. "Oh yes, totally," she chirped. "Ooh, are we gonna do it now? Gah, I'm so excited!" She then started bouncing up and down.

Harper laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, let's figure out what kind of makeover you want first," he suggested. "Then we can do it after the elimination ceremony."

Colleen smiled and waved her hands in excitement. "Okay!" she squeaked. "Yeah, I have no intentions to vote for you or Joshua anyways." She looked towards the skateboarder and he gave her a thankful nod.

Harper grew a devious grin but masked it for a more friendly one. "Well that's great to hear," he said.

"Yeah, it is," Colleen beamed. "I mean, after how great you guys were to me today, there's no way I'd do that to you."

"Aww you're so sweet," Harper complimented, before reaching back into his bag of beauty supplies. "So, are you thinking about getting a boyfriend sometime, like me? Or girlfriend for that matter?"

Colleen giggled. "I don't really know," she answered with a shrug. "But cool that you mentioned girlfriend 'cause I am bi after all."

Harper gave a shocked look and smiled. "Really now?" he remarked, pulling out some brushes. "Well so am I, sweetheart. Who knows, maybe you and I can be more than friends one day, hmmm?"

Colleen blushed. "Oh stop," she said, playfully swiping the thought away.

"Yeah, stop it, man," Joshua grunted.

Harper smirked and chuckled a little. "Oh don't you worry, Joshie," he assured. "I'm just having some flirty fun. I'm not gonna leave you for this cutie." He grew a facetious grin. "At least not yet." He then let out a playful giggle.

Joshua rolled his eyes while Colleen covered her mouth from laughing. Harper reached over and patted his lap. "It's not serious, dear," he reassured.

Colleen shook her head. "Don't worry, Joshua," she said. "I would never let her do that to you anyways."

Joshua shrugged and picked himself up. "Whatever, man," he said. "I'm gonna go-"

"Take a leak?" Harper finished for him with a cheeky grin.

Joshua furrowed his eyebrows. "Stand by the fire, actually," he corrected. Afterwards, he headed out the tent, leaving the two to chat and giggle some more.

Outside by the campfire, Light stood firmly with her arms crossed. She stared deep into the woods in thought. Joshua noticed her and stood by her side. Light turned her head towards him and furrowed her eyebrows. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing, man," Joshua replied. "Wasn't expecting you to be out here."

Light sighed and looked the other way. Joshua stood there, slightly swaying himself to and for with his hands in his pockets. "So uhh, how do you, like, feel about this loss?" he asked slowly.

Light closed her eyes. "Are you really trying to talk to me?" she asked.

Joshua shook his head. "Don't make me call you out again, man," he pleaded nonchalantly. "I already felt bad for, like, doing that to you earlier."

Light took a deep sigh and stared at the ground. She dropped her arms to her sides and then faced him directly. "Joshua, look," she said. "I have a hard time trusting people. And when someone I don't know wants to try to know me better, I instinctively shut them down. Call it a bad habit but it's who I am. If you ever felt offended by it, well, I'm sorry."

"I get it, man," Joshua replied, staring deep into the warm fire. "At least you seem to be, like, getting along with Colleen pretty well."

Light nodded her head. "At this point, I guess I just feel an obligation to watch over her," she confessed. "Her innocence is something I can't bear to see get tainted."

Joshua smiled. "I respect that a lot, man," he said. "She's, like, a really sweet girl and it's dope to hear that you wanna, like, protect her and stuff. It seems she's doing much better because of it, man."

"Yeah," Light agreed quietly. The two of them remained silent by the fire until Joshua eventually decided to leave to actually go take a leak this time.

(xXxXx)

Light: Perhaps I've been wrong about Joshua this whole time. He seems a lot more genuine and caring then I initially thought. (sighs) I'll try to be a little more nice to him, I guess.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to the Bionic Beasts' camp. Wayne and Shane were showered and in their tents. Meanwhile, Van was by the fire, sitting on the ground while Tala was sound asleep, her head resting on Van's lap. Van used one hand to gently fiddle with Tala's hair while the other she used to stabilize herself.

Miriam came out of the shower hut, dressed in a black sleep tank with dark pink and black sleep shorts. She had her hair down as well. She noticed the cute sight with her fellow girl teammates and smiled. She headed over quietly and sat by Van's side. The side opposite of where Tala was resting.

"Sup, girl," Van whispered, looking down at a sleeping Tala and gently rubbing her head. "Baby girl was super tired. She fell right asleep on my lap."

Miriam's heart melted and she placed a hand over her chest. "You two are honestly so cute," she awed quietly.

Van silently smirked. "Yeah, I'm glad things are chill now," she said. "What a wild day, huh."

Miriam nodded. "It was," she whispered. "I learned a lot about what my teammates think of me, that's for sure."

Van sighed remorsefully. "I hope you don't mean me sayin' you was trouble," she muttered. "You know that's not how I really feel."

Miriam shook her head. "Oh no, not that," she reassured. "I don't hold that against you at all. You'll always be a great friend to me."

Van glanced over to her with a thankful smile. "Darn straight," she agreed. "I've only known you for, like, three days or whatever but I can tell you'll be a gal for life."

"Oh okay…" Miriam replied awkwardly.

Van tilted her head. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Miriam sniffed and took a second to compose herself. "I just wasn't expecting that," she explained before groaning to herself. "I'm sorry. I have a hard time fully trusting people. Getting that close to someone just makes me nervous."

Van tilted her head, taking in what she said. "Have you had your trust messed with before?" she asked.

Miriam looked away quietly. "Yes…" she whimpered.

Van wrapped her free arm over Miriam's shoulder. "Well listen, honey," she whispered soothingly. "I will not betray your trust ever, ya hear? I hate deceivers jus' as much as you do. And I don't wanna ever hurt you like that." She then looked down at the still sleeping Tala with sad eyes. "I already made that mistake with her. I don't wanna make the same mistake again."

Miriam faced Van with a teary smile. She patted Van's free lap and whispered the words "Thank you" to her. Afterwards, the two chatted about other things as the camera panned upwards until only the starry night sky was visible.

(xXxXx)

Van: After this hectic day, Miriam's gotta be my ride or die. She ain't perfect, lord knows, she ain't. But she's one of the realest baddies alive.

(xXxXx)

The camera then flashed to Luna and Ezra, sitting alone together by a tree. "Oh I really don't want you to go, sugar," she whined as she held onto Ezra close. "We just started having so much fun together."

Ezra caressed her cheek and smiled. "Don't worry, babe," he assured. "We just gotta come up with a plan before the elimination ceremony begins."

"Let's vote out the big strong lady," Luna suggested. "She's mean. She denied my bestie request too."

Ezra caressed his goatee. "Yeah, I can do with that," he agreed. "She did technically lose in the volleyball match. Plus if the merge happens and she's still there, I can see it being pretty hard to outlast her."

"Exactly," Luna chirped. "Get her out early before she can do some real big strong damage." She then kissed him on the lips. "You're so brilliant, sugar."

Ezra smiled as he held her close. "Hmm, maybe I can get Harper and Joshua to vote with us," he pondered. "I don't know how they feel about Light personally but Colleen and Robin, I feel, are just too close to her."

"Alright!" Luna cheered. "We have a plan! This is gonna go swimmingly!" Then the two of them both made out with each other.

(xXxXx)

Ezra: Okay so I informed Joshua and Harper about the plan and they seemed cool with it. Hopefully, I should be in the clear. (plays air guitar) This rockstar is gonna bounce back from the sophomore slump, woo!

(xXxXx)

It was now time for the elimination ceremony. Chris had all the Titans sit in foldable chairs as he stood by a podium. "Welcome to your first elimination ceremony," the host greeted. "Got to say, this feels pretty weird to have you here." The Titans shared disappointed looks with each other.

"Welp, here's how this works," Chris continued, holding a box of supplies. "I'll give you a pencil and paper. You'll go cast your vote behind the voting tree. I'll tally up the votes. And then you'll find out who is going home, ya dig?" The Titans nodded their heads together.

Chris smiled as he walked from the podium to hand them their supplies. Afterwards, he ordered each camper, one by one, to vote. After all the votes were made, he counted them up carefully and then took a plate of marshmallows from Chef.

"When I give you a marshmallow, you're safe," the host explained. "Last camper without a marshmallow is eliminated." He then picked up one of them. "Let's begin, shall we? Colleen." He flicked it towards her.

Colleen caught the marshmallow and squealed with excitement. "Can't believe it!" she chirped. "My first immunity marshmallow, ahhh."

Chris then flicked a marshmallow to Robin. "Weird voice guy," he called. "You're safe."

Robin caught the marshmallow and frowned. "Not even that creative of an insult," he replied dryly.

Chris ignored him and then flicked a marshmallow to Joshua. "Skater boy," he said. "Enjoy, like, your immunity, dude."

Joshua smirked as he caught it. "Thanks, man," he said nonchalantly.

"Crazy girl Luna, you're safe too," Chris announced, flicking her the marshmallow.

Luna caught it and ate it in one bite. "Mmmm," she moaned, rubbing her stomach. "So yummy and fluffy!"

Chris took a second to eye the remaining three. "The rest of you marshmallow-less peeps were at least voted for once," he shared. "Harper, you're ultimately still safe, however, because you only had one vote." Harper caught the ensuing marshmallow, clenching it tightly in his fist.

(xXxXx)

Harper: Someone voted for me? (frowns and crosses arms) Oh, they just made a BIG mistake.

(xXxXx)

Ezra and Light sat close together, both a little nervous at the situation. They shared glances before Chris cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "It's down to you two," he said slowly. "One of you had two votes, the other had four. You both did fail your respective tasks but one was obviously less awful than the other." Ezra gave an unamused look in response.

Light looked down and sighed. "It's because of my meanness, right?" she pondered. "You guys all want to be friends and I don't. That's why I'm in the bottom two."

Colleen reached out to her with sad eyes. "But you are my friend, right?" she pleaded

Light looked up in a bit of surprise. She stared at Colleen, who looked anxious to hear her answer. Light took Colleen by the hand and nodded. "Yeah, we're friends," she assured. Colleen's worried work soon turned into a big smile.

Chris rolled his eyes. "You guys try way too hard to be sweet all the time," he groaned. "Enough of that, we have one last marshmallow to give. The last camper who is safe is…

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…Light!"

Colleen squealed and side-hugged Light, much to her surprise. She gently nudged away Colleen, who giggled apologetically in response.

Meanwhile, Ezra looked upset as he got up from his seat and pointed towards Joshua and Harper. "What the heck?" he questioned. "I thought we had a plan?"

Harper rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Look, I know I said I would think about it," he replied before growing a smug look. "And well, I thought about it and I didn't like it. Light's been one of our best players on this team and you're not. Sorry."

Ezra groaned and then turned to Joshua. "Well what about you," he asked. "I thought you told me you were cool with it, man?"

"I just said 'cool, man' not 'I'm cool with it, man,'" Joshua explained. "I don't wanna vote Light off." He looked over to her and smiled. "She's pretty cool, man." Light gave him a thankful nod before Joshua faced Ezra again and shrugged. "Sorry, dude."

Ezra suddenly felt something ram into him. It was a sobbing Luna. "Oh no, sugar," she cried. "This is horrible. I don't want you to go, Mr. Rockstar buddy." She cried some more before blowing her nose on Ezra's jacket.

Ezra held her hand and smiled. "It's gonna be alright, Luna," he assured. "I'll see you after you win the finale, okay babe?"

Luna nodded. "I will win this whole thing for you, sugar," she promised through her tears and snot.

Robin came up to him next. "Dude, this sucks," he groaned. "I feel like our friendship was only truly beginning."

Ezra shrugged. "Eh, it happens," he said. "I'll be fine, bro. Life goes on."

Robin nodded. "Still sucks but yeah, life goes on," he agreed, a little despondently.

Ezra patted him on the shoulder. "Hey Robin," he said quietly.

"Yeah?" Robin replied.

Ezra looked over his shoulder, towards Colleen. He then smirked a little. "Promise me you'll give her a shot," he requested.

Robin sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. "We'll see," he said softly.

Ezra smiled and brought him for a bro-hug. "Take it easy, my dude," he farewelled before Chef led him to the boat of losers.

As Chris was about to give Ezra his final goodbyes, Robin came running and stopped him. "Hey Chris," he called. "Can I do the honors?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "You and your creepy impressions," he grumbled before stepping aside.

Robin approached Ezra on the boat and cleared his throat. "Well Ezra, better luck next time," he said in his Chris impression. "Also, I'm a huge weiner."

Ezra fell down laughing as the boat sailed off. Chris grabbed Robin by the arm and glowered at him. "That's strike two!" he snarled, holding up two irate fingers.

Robin looked confused. "What was strike one?" he asked, back in his normal voice.

"The donkey doo, remember?" Chris said with loads of disdain. "Now beat it. All of you. Get back to your camp!" Robin scratched his head and went back to his team as they all left the area.

Chef stepped up to Chris with a smirk. "You do have quite the fragile ego," he grumbled. "I thought the kid was funny."

Chris glared at him. "Is that so?" he seethed. "Well guess what, you're not getting that raise." He then stormed off the dock in frustration, mumbling some obscenities to himself.

Chef shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Ain't nothing new," he grunted before he too left the dock.

The camera then flashed to the Bionic Beasts camp. It was late at night and everyone but Wayne were in their tents, getting some much needed rest. He, however, was sitting quietly by the campfire, staring deeply into the bright flames and reflecting on the events of the entire day. The sounds of hooting owls, crickets and the crackles of the fire filled up the silent, empty air.

Wayne seemed rather intense, as he reached to his side. "I'm sorry, Miriam," he muttered to himself before pulling out some device that had a timer on it. "But I can't let you stay here anymore. Truce or not."

The camera then flashed back to Chris, who was much calmer now. "Well, well, well," he remarked, rubbing his chin. "What does Wayne have planned for the hot headed dancer? Will he finally get what he wants in the end? And where will we morph to next? Find out next time on Total Drama Metamorphia!"

---

And thus concludes another ridiculously long episode. What did you think of the episode? And did you catch that conversation with Bridgette and Colleen? A teaser for a World Tour sequel, perhaps? wink wink

As for Ezra, I knew he was a fan favorite amongst some but besides his little friendship arc with Robin and his wacky romance with Luna, I didn't have much planned for him. That being said, he was still a fun character to write.

My personal favorite scene with him was when he and Robin smoothed out their friendship. It just shows how wholesome and chill the guy is. Plus, all of his silly fun antics with Luna were great too. He just bounced off so well with many of the cast and it was treat to have him. So thanks BadLuckAE for sending this OC to me. I hope to see him in more stories in the future.

Here are where the teams stand at now:

The Bionic Beasts: Wayne, Miriam, Shane, Tala and Van

The Twisted Titans: Light, Joshua, Luna, Harper, Robin and Colleen

Eliminated: Frank, Meghan, Ezra

Here's the name/hint for the next episode:

EPISODE 5: MINE IF I MORPH HERE?

With all that said and done, thanks for reading, stay hydrated and have a wonderful day :)